Abyssal Collection
by Scarlet-MagicianX26
Summary: A 16-year-old naval enthusiast gets summoned onto a platform that holds the warriors of humanity's greatest enemy. In a body weak and useless, what can he do in order to survive?
1. Chapter 1-01 - Rude Awakening

Christmas sucks, they say.

Of course, unless you are me, where it sucks worse than vaccum.

An hour ago (at least, around there-I lost track of time), I woke up to the nastiest surprise for Christmas- stuck aboard a platform, in the middle of some goddamned ocean. A platform, full of lovecraftian-horrors combined with broken naval equipment shaped in the form of girls.

Or rather, as they are known, Abyssals.

And I probably gave them quite a shock themselves, given that I was screaming to the high heavens when I looked at them-and no, they did not look like the cute moeblobs in those pictures that I had in my phone-to the point that I had been grabbed rather roughly by two cruisers (or at least, what they looked like to me-I wasn't that invested into KanColle in my home dimension or what ever sick god called it) and thrown into a cell.

Or at least, what looked like to me as a cell when I went tumbling in. It was more of a dorm-and almost looked as cozy as a real one from a human land-if it didn't have the Abyssal touches to it. It had the bed to the side of the room, a large window beside it which gave a rather beautiful view of the sea and the Abyssal platform on it. Opposite the bed and next to the door even had a nice wardrobe-with nothing in it though. Lastly was the carpet on the floor, as well as the light planted on the ceiling of the room. The bed itself was rather comfortable, and I had sat there all the while panicking like a moron for quite awhile, only managing to regain my cool after-like, half an hour? And then I haven't dared step out of the room-which was pointless, as it turned out, as it was locked. And lastly, the room was surprisingly warm-strange, given that this was an Abyssal outpost.

Out of curiousity, I decided to take a look out of the window. Strangely enough, it wasn't even barred or locked, and it slid open easily.

Guess I'm not a prisoner or something-or perhaps, any Abyssal could just suplex me to death on the platform if I attempted escape. Don't even need the weapons.

Taking a closer look, it turned out the entire deck was crowded with fairies-or at least. the abyssal version of them. There were Abyssals, but not many, and it seemed that most of them weren't the actual warships-they were static defenders, like the Air Defense Princess (at least trying to recall my very incomplete knowledge of the 'ship waifu game') and if there were any combatants, they were wounded-probably being transferred between repair docks-and a few overseers, including one battleship that had passed by me looking extremely worried.

What was going on, I asked myself. The Abyssals, having trouble? That can't be right-shouldn't it be the other way 'round, them trolling the shipgirl navies?

Pondering this question, I was though interrupted by a sharp knock on the door.

Immediately after that knock, a high-pitched, unnaturally sharp voice came through the door, "Excuse me?"

Did the Abyssals even speak English? Shouldn't it be some gobbledegook?

I came round, and opened the door, not exactly inapprehensive of what I would see.

Turns out, I didn't even have to fear. Opening the door, I saw two identical, scantily clad girls, one with a single ponytail extending to the waist and another with untouched long hair, both with the harsh bleached skin, missing their 'rigging', but with rather cute smiles on their faces. Well, cute if they didn't have such a creepy appearance and I wasn't so goddamn terrified of what they could do to me if they so willed.

It took me a few moments before I realized that they were the same two Ri-Class Light Cruisers that had brought me to this room. The one on the left, sweet as a teenage girl, told me, "Um, our acting commander would like to have a talk with you."

The one on the right piped up, "Though if you are still scared, the commander can wait for you a little longer, although she would prefer if this meeting was done as soon as possible."

Wow, this 'commander' wants a chat...most likely some questioning, one I can't refuse...or could I? I mean, they have been rather nice so far-

Yeah, no way.

"Yes, yes! I am coming!" I said them in a nervous, scared tone. Both of them smiled, and turned to the left, montioning for me to follow. Quickly, I walked thought the doorway, hurriedly closing the door behind me, and followed the twins as they made a steady pace through the hallway.

They soon reached a set of double doors, after walking past quite a number of empty rooms, and the occasional Abyssal-who had paid me the most brief of curious looks-wasn't a human on an Abyssal base supposed to be strange? They opened the double doors, which led to the open deck I was gazing at earlier. While I spied the Abyssal working like a bunch of nervous bees, the two Ris had reached a facsimile of a command post, which had the peculiarities of a Abyssal structure on them.

Climbing the set of stairs located in the middle of the structure, we had reached the second topmost level, and was now facing a door with a black polished plaque labeled 'Commander' on it. The first Ri knocked on the door, which received a curt response. "Enter."

The door opened, and we walked in to see a particularly stern Wo-Class standing and waiting for us. Despite her being a little shorter than me, I recoiled a little, mainly because of the fierce look she had on her face. She then begun to look me up and down.

Something definitely wasn't right at all. The Wo, seeing me slink back, softened that look a little, but when she spoke, she still had a commanding undertone to her soprano voice. "So you are the one summoned by that ritual we tried."

"Urrr...what ritual?" I guessed it afterwards- KanColle shipgirls had been theorized by fanon to be summoned by what ever religious ritual that was relevant to their origin countries-Shinto for the Japanese girls, and Christian for the British. Of course, there were many others, but at least that was the one I subscribed to.

Right now, though, I was confused by the fact that at least 3 Abyssals had talked to me without punching me of the platform, and why the hell would they be trying to summon more Abyssals? And why was I 'summoned'?

Argghhhh.

One of the Ris spoke up. "We tried that ritual because we were trying to make up for losses."

Wait what?

Losses?

"That's right." Wo added in. "The humans have been attacking our bases, our sisters, for a year already. However, they recently got...stronger, and now are winning."

Hold on a sec, the humans are winning?

"Wait...but...shouldn't they be losing a lot of shipgirls at the same time, not being able to keep pushing through! It can't be that bad, right?!"

Wo nodded her head.

"My sisters...a large number of them...recently sunk at the recent battle. The humans are now coming here, so we needed desperate measures...so we decided to try to copying the humans, doing rituals to call our sisters home."

Oh.

Oh fucking shit.

"So..."

"But you were the first to come out, so we decided to stop for now, and look at you before we continue."

I lost my mind at this point. "That's right, cause you got it wrong! You summoned a human, here! A human boy even! And what can a human boy do against all that enemy coming? Please tell me you are going to send me back now!" Dammit, a fleet of shipgirls, coming to bring thunder and the wrath of god on this place? Shit shit fucking shit! I found my self cursing and swearing across the entire room, completely forgetting whose presence I was in.

"A...human?" At that point, I heard the other 3 girls whisper to themselves.

"Yes! That's right! A human boy, useless to all of you, unless you parlay with the-"

"You...don't look human."

Huh?

"You look...like my sister. Just not of a familar...sex, is it?"

Wait what?

I took a look at my hands. Front and back.

They were bleached white, and had...had...

No. Nonononononnonnonononono...

I spied a mirror at the other end of the room, and ran towards it. All I saw was my face-but bleached white, hair now pitch black instead of brown, and with my eyes replaced with those of a cold blue colour.

An Abyssal.

Last thing I knew, were two figures rushing up to me as I collapsed into darkness.

I awoke, coughing and spluttering, as I felt something similar to liquid being dumped on my head.

"Wha-" I muttered as I looked up. Gazing upwards, I saw the Wo from before holding a bucket in both of her hands, the lower half of her expression hidden behind the high collar around her neck.

My mind took a inordinate amount of time to realise that she had just dumped a repair bucket (Abyssal version, no less) on my head. In the meantime, a hand was extended towards me, and I grabbed, using its owner as support to pull myself up.

Still shaken from my recent revelation and self-knockout, I put a hand against the wall to steady myself. Then, I heard my trembling voice murmur, "So...I am really one of you...?"

Wo, still staring at me, simply nodded.

Then immediately she questioned, "You say you were human?"

My brain immediately snapped to attention as she said that. "That's right."

"Then...can you help us?"

Hah?

One of the Ri-Class came over with a series of boards-hang on a sec, if they had time to get those, how long was I out?

Wo spoke. "If you know about us, it means you know about 'them', right?"

The Ri-Class holding those boards flipped the first of them over. On it I saw were what seemed to be very detailed sketched images of certain shipgirls-Akagi, Bismark among them.

"Yes, but-"

The moment I said 'yes', Wo's eyes seemed to brighten. Without waiting for my answer, she piled on, asking, "Do you know these?"

"Wait hang on-" Too late; another board flipped over, and I saw another shipgirl-

Wait what?

I grabbed the board, ignoring the protests of its holder, and studied it carefully.

Immediately afterwards, I freaked out for a second.

Because what I was looking at, if my eyes weren't fooling me, was the body of a modern destroyer, in a shipgirl.

'Modern' as in anything ranging from 1960s to post-2000s.

My mind now kicked into overdrive- firstly, how in the world did they manage to summon a shipgirl from that time-period? And normally Abyssals-either through the copious use of 'magic' or some other strange tech- had the ability to scramble and mess with any targeting or observation system. If this version of humanity had chosen to return to the more advanced technological base...could this mean that they had managed to circumvent it?

"What is it? Anything?" I was interrupted by an anxious Ri. I swallowed, and asked for the last board. Perhaps there was more about that strange shipgirl-

"Holy fucking shit!" I swore as I looked at it.

What the fuck?

What the actual flying fuck?

No way. No. Effing. Way.

Wo had to be messing with me, for what I had seen on the board, was a giant fucking flying battleship.

Humanity no way could have advanced to such a stage by 2015.

I looked back at the 3 abyssals, who were looking at me with rather expectant looks. If my heart had any hope going out that everything I seen up till now was fake, if was shattered simply by seeing them-for it pretty much confirmed that it was real, and had already long ago snarred their hearts in fear.

Still, part of me tried. "Is...this...real?"

Both Ri's nodded their heads rapidly, while Wo simply held her staff, waiting for my answer.

My response was to walk to one of the couches in the room and collapse upon it.

I'm really screwed. If humanity here had managed to create such things already, that posed the question-how many advancements would they have made by now, in other fields?

Did they have control of the 'magic' in this world already?

Was it too late?

How did they see Abyssals?

Dammit...so many questions, so little answers... 


	2. Chapter 1-02 - Recollections

After a moment, I decided to question the Abyssals about the ongoing war.

At this point, I had realised that I wasn't in the actual KanColle world anymore-mainly due to the strange list of possible weaponry that was shown by the humans.

"I'm sorry...but I need more information from all of you first-can you please give me an account of the war between you and the humans?" My voice shook as it left my mouth.

Wo blinked, and sat on the couch opposite mine. She breathed in once, and begun her story.

"A few years back, I came along with our commander, wanting to establish a base here, for reasons she herself only knew...but then we started hearing reports of a attack from the west, from the humans."

"Then, a while ago, we heard that they were reaching our territory, and in response, our commander took a fleet out to try to stop them. And...we lost."

Well, fuck...that doesn't say anything...

"Ok, I see. Do you have any pictures- er, any 'drawings' or records of that battle? I will need it to decipher what the humans can do."

Wo looked at me, right before offering her hand to me.

"No, I mean, could you give me-"

"Just take it." Wo gave a blunt reply.

Errr...I extended my hand and grasped it-

 ** _Light.  
_**  
I felt something sucking at me, pulling me into it...

* * *

God, not another rude awakening in the span of an few hours.

As my vision returned to me, I saw that I was within a not-particularly dense fog, and saw several figures within it.

I tried to shake my head-huh? I can't?

A voice cut into my mind. "This is my memory." Apparently it was Wo's.

"Hey, how are you-" I began-

"Right now you are seeing the battle I had, where I saw- and fought- those 'strange shipgirls' I showed you. "

My inner self felt rather disoriented. "Hah? When did you Abyssals learn this trick?"

"I mentioned that when we 'evolved', we learnt new things about ourselves. This was one of the things we learnt- memory-sharing. When there are two of us, either of us can choose to re-experience our old memories, sharing it with the other. That was how we learnt about the strange 'flying fortress in the sky'. Some of my sisters fought it, and they went and showed all of us about it."

Ok...

Meanwhile, the memory continued playing. Wo was part of a battle formation, which consisted of (as far as I could count) 20 Destroyers, 25 Cruisers (Light and Heavy), 10 Battlehips, alongside with 9 Light Carriers plus Wo, and...a Battleship Princess.

The Princess seemed to be the commander of the whole formation, as she was giving random commands to the whole formation, although most of them were just concerning the position of her subordinates.

The entire formation was in an expense of empty ocean, all cloaked in fog, and was moving at a high speed.

Wo conrinued. "The...former...commander learnt that a human fleet was on its way here, therefore she led out us to protect the base..."

Suddenly, the Battleship Princess ordered the entire group to a stop, and begun a speech of some kind. "Remember, the humans are still moving, and they will not be able to respond as they cannot see us until we emerge. Attack quickly, and don't let them deploy their shipgirls!"

Turning to me (actually Wo), she asked, "Ready your planes. We will attack under the cover of your planes."

Wo simply nodded, and the Princess turned back, preparing to advance, and I felt energy surging through both Abyssals-

Only for a strange blue beam to slam into the princess, throwing her backwards and into the water.

Wo and I screamed in shock, and as she moved forward to help, a strange piercing whine erupted out of nowhere. As it reached a climax, a white pulse of energy sliced across the battlefield, at the same time pushing back the fog with it-

And revealing a large group of shipgirls charging towards the Abyssal formation.

Wo's comrades had begun to panick upon seeing their commander hit by that strange beam, upon seeing the shipgirl armada, some of them had started to back up and retreat, until the Princess stood up and roared-a long angered roar-before engaging their enemies. Seeing this, Wo turned around, slammed her staff unto the water surface, calling her swarm of aircraft into the frey.

A second beam sliced across the horizon, narrowly missing the Princess. In response, she pushed herself upwards, and her guns spoke in defiance as they unleashed their wrath upon her enemies.

A battle of the past begun, as I watched in shock and awe.

* * *

As the Abyssals stood their ground and returned fire, Wo and her fellow Aircraft Carrier maidens dashed to a spot away from the main fighting, behind the defense lines of their comrades, while the Princess pushed through the ranks to participate in the fighting.

As soon as they reached their destination, all of them turned around and faced rhe ongoing battle. Wo placed both her hands back on her staff, and-

Out of a sudden, my vision _twisted_ , and I found myself looking at a swarm of Abyssal aircraft.

Wo's voice came back on inside my head. "This was something else we learnt- being able to 'see' from our aircraft."

Not bad. Perhaps this would come in handy when one had to command fleets-

The view shifted sharply downwards, now aiming towards the battle. Apparently Wo had the same idea as mine in the past. Taking full advantage of it, I focused my energies into watching the battle.

Which was...interesting, to say the least. Despite it being technically a naval battle, what I saw seemed more like a reenactment of medieval-style ground combat on sea. The Abyssal Fleet had formed into a singular, block formation, where the destroyers were at the front and sides, cruisers just behind them and the battleships right at the back. As I watched, the formation held its ground, with the battleships and cruisers barraging the shipgirls, while the destroyers slowly peeled away and formed wolfpacks of 2-4 each, before attempting to flank the shipgirls on both sides. Meanwhile, the Battleship Princess headed to in front of the cruisers, as if attempting to rally and raise the morale of her comrades.

As we flew over the Abyssals, and past them, the view switched to facing the shipgirls.

By the time I was able to get a decent view of them, the shipgirls had started their response to the Abyssal movements.. Originally they were charging towards the Abyssals while divided into 3 blocks of 10 destroyers, 8 cruisers and 5 battleships, totalling up to 69 shipgirls participating in the battle-at least, considering that the enemy carriers had been suspiciously missing as the battle begun. In each group, the battleships were at the front, forming a V shape, with the cruisers placed right behind them, and the destroyers right at the end, as if focusing their firepower towards the front. As the Abyssal destroyers attempted to flank them, their formation morphed- the 3 blocks merged together, and in doing so, the cruisers spilt into 6 groups of 4, and headed off to the left and the right, heading off to counter them before they could perform devastating torpedo runs. As the cruisers spilt off, the remaining cruisers and battleships realigned themselves, forming what was similar to 3 spears- battleships at the 'tips', destroyers being the 'shaft'.

As the main group attacked the Abyssal defense line, Wo's vision shifted to focus on the fights between the Abyssal Destroyers and the shipgirl cruisers. As I watched, the shipgirls hit the Abyssal formation at the side, focusing all their firepower on a single spot.

It was painfully effective-as they flanked the destroyers, the Abyssals hastily put up a defense, which was quickly broken by the enemy cruisers smashing headlong into it. Some destroyers did get their torpedoes off, which mostly missed except for two shich hit the same unlucky cruiser, which then back tracked, looking badly damaged. The rest of the cruisers, having broken the destroyer lines, began to bombard the Abyssals, forcing them to scatter. Thankfully, despite being hurt, most of the destroyers managed to limp back towards their comrades in a circuitous route.

At this point, the planes suddenly took a sharp downward dive, and I found myself looking straight at the main group of shipgirls, their forms expanding in my view as the Abyssal planes began preparing an attack run.

I immediately took a look at their rigging- while they originally did not seemed to be a lot different, a closer inspection showed that the differences were rather subtle. For one, their rigging seemed to be standardised, with battleships using the same type of rigging, destroyers using the same type, etc etc. Secondly, rigging seemed to be a few levels bulkier than what I knew-particularly for the destroyers- and adding on to this was that the rigging seemed to look a lot more modern-ish compared to the WWII-styled ones I remembered. For example, there were less visble smokestacks, alot more electrical parts, and-

Hang on, _are those rotary cannons pointed at me?  
_  
As if in response, I heard the telltale whine of several motors revving up-

 _BRRRRRRTTTTTT-_ went the combined amount of a fleet's worth of point defense battery as those same cannons began spitting fire and lead at the multiple groups of Abyssal aircraft. Immediately I felt past-Wo order the planes to begin evasive manouvers, causing the aircraft to begin speeding up and pulling up sharply, narrowly avoiding death by anti-aircraft fire and water by a hair-length. As they sped up, I saw cannons correct their fire and continue spewing death at their enemies. I myself grabbing hold of my composure, the vision turned to facing dead straight at the shipgirls ahead of me, and spotted several aircraft in front of the one I was seeing from get torn apart by hypervelocity bullets.

Moments later it failed to execute a good enough spin, was caught by those tracers and torn apart, causing said vision to spiral out of control-

-only for it to switch to the perspective of another plane, which at that moment dropped its torpedo and deftly swooped up, its surviving comrades following suit. The vision turned a full three-sixty degrees around, giving the view of a squad of slowly disappearing shipgirls, alongside with a full blast of cannon fire. As a few more planes were shot from the sky, I saw shipgirls desperately trying to avoid torpedoes and bombs, resulting in a few explosions of water and flame as a few managed to find their mark.

At this point Wo asked in my head, "You feel...shocked. What did you see?"

At which I replied, "Yeah...that's a rotary cannon...that means that shipgirl rigging has had a gone through quite a few upgrades..."

'Gone through a few upgrades' was really underselling it-if they could place more powerful equipment on rigging...

I tried to shove that thought for later, and watched the Abyssal formation as the planes flew by. There was not much change, just that both sides rate of shelling fire had intensified-not surprising as they had managed to hunker down by now-and that the Abyssal destroyers had finally retreated to their formation. As for the shipgirls chasing them, they had broken off and were also heading back to their own group.

"Let me change to when we saw those strange shipgirls." As Wo spoke, the vision changed.

Now I was still seeing from the outside of an aircraft, the situation on the water had changed.

Currently, the Abyssals had still held their ground, but by now the shipgirls had almost reached the front of their formation. Currently both sides held formation, but there were some changes; for the Abyssals, some of the battleships had stopped performing artillery fire, and moved to the front to soak up enemy damage. There were also some Abyssals repositioned to the carrier holding spot, looking seemingly wounded. As the plane traveled enough for me to get a look on the shipgirls, I saw that the formation had shrunk a little, with some members missing, probably sunk or retreated.

As both sides closed in, the planes began to dip (whence I noticed that the formation had shrunk considerably), and-

All of a sudden, whooshing sounds cound be heard from an area from far behind the shipgirls. Soon, a massive swarm of streaks of light swept into the battlefield, flying towards the Abyssals.

I swore as I saw them. "Fucking missiles!"

As I looked bewilderedly for the source of the attack, the Abyssals stopped firing in shock, right before they began to scatter. Their formation broke apart as they tried to scatter, to avoid being hit by the incoming barrage. They spaced out, wider, wider...

However, it was hopeless. As the moved further apart, the missiles retargeted, aiming for individual enemies. As they locked on, they swooped in for the kill.

As they struck, flashes of light and flame appeared, with the sounds of munitions detonating following aoon after. As the high-pitched, unearthly wails and screams of their victims rang out across the ocean, smoke and fire blew out, and as they dissipated, the damaged, destroyed husks and bodies of the unlucky Abyssals collapsed and sunk into the depths.

Immediately after the horrific scene occured, a pained, tortured scream ran across the battlefield. The vision turned to its source, the Battleship Princess, who appeared to had been hit by a large number of those missiles. Her form, smoking, hurt in a hundred places, and rigging bent and broken everywhere, shuddered as she cried in grief and pain. When her banshee-like wail ended, she shook, and charged aimlessly at the formation of shipgirls.

In response, the shipgirl formation slowly broke up- the destroyers charged out from the back and curved towards the flanks of the Abyssals, while the others started to form squads of 6, moving to assault the broken ranks of the Abyssals.

As they dashed out, I watched as a strange device on the back of their rigging lit up with energy-which then spread throughout the body of the shipgirl. Immediately afterwards, the shipgirl acclerated at a ridiculous rate, she and her comrades rapidly closing the distance between them and the Abyssals.

The Abyssals began to respond, but before they could, the shipgirls had reached them, firing on them with cold ruthlessness. They would swing and surround an Abyssal, blast her repeatedly with all their firepower, before quickly moving on to the next. As I watched an Abyssal Battleship put up a defense, a shipgirl rushed in and knocked her silly with a point-blank shot to the face, causing the Abyssal to lower her defenses, then ducking back and letting her team mates barrage the Abyssal to death.

I felt the fury from Wo-both past and present- as the planes rushed towards the source of the missile attacks. Soon, they reached their destination, as they were undeterred by anything-

Finally, I saw those 'strange shipgirls' that Wo was talking apart. They were lined up in a line, facing the battlefield, their missile batteries opened and primed. Before the planes dived, starting to begin their attack run, I saw that the shipgirls were in the middle of preparing a second wave of missiles. As Wo's planes attacked, they panicked, frantically trying to retarget and destroy the attacking aircraft. As the Abyssal aircraft launched their bombs and torpedos, they responded with waves of retargeted missiles. As some failed to home in in time, others either found their mark or detonated midair, soon wiping out the remaining planes.

As the vision returned, I found myself looking back over the battlefield in a single scout plane.

By now, the Abyssals had been completely routed. The shipgirl wolfpacks of cruisers and battleships were now chasing the Abyssals, who were now in full retreat, attempting to return to the fog where they came from. The plane itself was also heading towards the carriers, who were trying to collect the rest of their aircraft before disappearing into the fog. As the Abyssals ran, the shipgirl destroyers attempted to harry their retreat by launching torpedos into their paths-any who were hit would stumble, right before a barrage of artillery fire came that erased their existence from the earth. Whats more, the blue streaks of energy returned, slashing through the battlefield-I watched in horror as a cruiser screamed as she was blown away by a lucky shot.

There was only one last true combatant-the Battleship Princess, who was a literal force of nature as she fought off 20 other shipgirls. What seemed to be a storm surrounded her, and she used it to great effect-each time a shipgirl fired at her, a wave would rise up and catch the shell, or attempt to drag the shipgirl down. Each time a shipgirl charged the Princess, a blast of storm would blow her backwards-once, I saw the Princess grab hold of an attacker, and slowly blew her apart with the storm and guns. It seemed to work, for I watched her combatants collapse and retreated, be dragged away by the comrades, or simply go down, dragged by her wrath.

But above all the chaos, I heard her rasping voice cry for her sisters to run.

But in the end, fate claimed her too; a cruiser decided to take a dastardly move, whipping a spear from her back and charging at the Princess's back. Her guns managed to spin around in time and blast the cruiser-but it was too late. The spear pierced through black corrupted armor, pale skin and flesh; exiting from the chest of the Princess, spilling black blood and gore into the ocean.

The Princess wailed in pain and despair, and her storm started to subside. Other shipgirls then took the chance to begin hammering her in her vulnerable state, causing her to collapse under the force of a hundred shells and twice as many explosions.

As I watched the Princess die, the memory began to fade.

* * *

As I returned to the present, I collapsed back onto the couch behind me, Wo standing straight, looking at me.

Looking out of the window, it was apparently nighttime, and I saw a crescent moon slowly rise out of the fog and into the sky.

After a long time, Wo finally asked, "So...did you find out any thing?"

I tried to compose myself. After a while, I gave up. "I'm sorry...but let me rest, and I also need to think."

"How long more do you need to think?" Wo started, suddenly harsh.

"What?"

"We have spent here for almost half a day, and you have yet to give me any answers! Do you know, the more we wait, the faster the enemy will finish our sisters-" I gaped as Wo began to lash out, backing away a little.

Suddenly the Ri with the long ponytail stepped up to her and held her shoulder, cutting her off. They both stared at each other for awhile.

At this point Wo also fell back into couch, letting her staff clatter to the floor.

"I'm sorry," she began. "Its just...its just...seeing my sister die again..." Her voice trailed off, and what seemed to be a tear trailed from her eye.

We all said nothing for awhile. Deep in my heart, I felt pity for her, her comrades, and the Princess coalse inside.

Somehow, that filled me with determination, and my composure rushed back.

I sat up straight. "All right." Wo and the Ris looked at me.

"I can begin now."


	3. Chapter 1-03 - Mapping The Enemy

I began to consolidate what I learned from the memory.

To start off, I focused on the advancements that the human navies had made in both magic and technology for the shipgirl navies.

First off, were the 'strange shipgirls' that Wo had pointed out to me, what had been the main decisive factor of the match. As I knew already, their rigging were based of guided missile destroyers of the early twenty-first century, and under normal circumstances, would not have existed at all.

Obviously, by now I very well knew that that was not the case.

While I began pondering, one of Wo's 'secretaries' (as I nicknamed her two attendant Ris) came over and plonked a bunch of items on the table; a pen, the two boards from eariler on, and a couple of sheets of rough paper.

By reflex, I picked up the pen and rough paper, and looked at the pen as I felt a cold roughness on it. The pen looked like as if someone had tried to make a crude replica of a fountain pen - one tube made of black damaged metal which ended off with a nib at the end.

Looking at it, I wondered, how the heck did the Abyssals make pen and paper in the first place? There was definitely going to be a sore lack of anything wooden out in these dead oceans, which meant that the creation of paper would have been almost impossible-

I rapidly shut off that train of thought. Dammit, why do distractions continue to plague me in times of crisis?

Grabbing hold of the (rather well drawn) picture of the shipgirl DDG, I had another good look at it. Trying to match up with the image of her I saw in Wo's memory, I focused on the image. Mainly, the rigging, starting from the top. The 'backpack' of it had a landing pad mounted at its top, with a helicopter currently on it. Moving downwards, what I could see of the 'backpack'- as most of it was concealed by the shipgirl's body- was what seemed to be the main superstructure of a DDG, inclusive of bridge and...an engine room? On the left shoulder straps of this 'backpack', was what seemed to be a pair of rotary cannons, presumably meant for point/air-defense work, and on the right, was something similar to a large anti-air missile turret. On her chest, was what seemed to be a third strap, hanging diagonally, with 3 hooks attached to it-for hanging equipment? At her waist, on both sides was what seemed to be a half of a hull, with a battery of 8 VLS (Vertical-Launch-System) missile cells on each one. Her leff hand held something...what seemed to be a pistol, except that its fromt barrel had been replaced with something bulkier, with its firing end looking like the wrong side of a laser pointer, whereas in her right hand, she had been holding her 'main gun', adapted to the shipgirl style. As for the uniform...it was...ugh, I gave up finding the words to describe it, only that it looked somewhat cute. Surprisingly, the girl was not that young, instead looking more like she was in her teenage years.

While I looked at her, I began formulating theories and ideas for Wo.

A few moments passed, where upon I flipped the sketch around and placed the pen's nib on that piece of rough paper. "Ok, firstly, um, ma'am," I hesitating before using the honorific, and Wo's eyes slightly widened a little after I used it. "This shipgirl, first off all, is called, or rather, based off a 'guided missile destroyer."

"Huh? But...it does not look like a destroyer to me." Wo bent over to take a better look at the picture, frowning.

"Thats right. You see, in human terms, the name of 'destroyer' is rather arbitary-lets just leave it at that, because I were to continue, I would have to talk about human naval history and everything. So let me just tell you what it does. Unlike a normal destroyer, who mainly has light armor and guns so that it can carry torpedos, this ship has almost no armor at all, and has only 1 main gun, but instead, it moves even more nimbler than a 'normal' destroyer, and instead of torpedos, has something called a 'missile battery'."

I pointed to the two half-hulls on the shipgirl's waist. "Those are the batteries I'm talking about. What they do are shoot missiles."

"What are missiles?" At this point I grabbed a piece of paper, and began sketching on it with the pen. "Here's what you need to know...missiles are basically a large projectile, which has a 'rocket engine' on its back, and a guidance system attached to its front that can control it, i.e. make it turn, speed up or slow down while moving." Finishing my rather crude sketch of a missile, I passed it to her, and she picked it up and eyed it intentedly. "What it usually carries, is either a large explosive, armour piercing explosives, or, in the case where a submarine appears, it carries a depth charge or guided torpedo. With the rocket engine and its guidance system, it can travel a very far distance, and unlike planes, it does not need to return to its launcher."

"So, it can attack and hurt anything, from battleships to submarines?" Wo asked.

"Thats right. However, in order to use it, the shipgirl has this." Returning to the shipgirl sketch, I pointed out the 'superstructure' on her back. "Unlike most other shipgirls, who only can see within their sight range and communicate using radio and word by mouth- er, you know what a 'radio' is?" Wo simply nodded. Good, perhaps they would not be lacking in the communicarions department. "Ok, back to the subject. The guided missile destroyer, also has a sensor array of radar, sonar and alot of other things, that allow them to see a few hundred kilometres away. Their missiles also rely on this, as its the only way they can get to target their enemies from so far away."

I pointed to the mounted turrets on the shipgirl's shoulder. "Those are her AA. They one you see on her left shoulder-actually her right- is a pair of rotary cannons. Simply put, they are a very fast firing machine gun that fires large bullets at a very fast rate, even faster than any of your defensive machine guns. Its range is not very large, but as you have seen too, any plane that enters that range is destroyer very, very quickly. Also, it depends on the type of destroyer, but sometimes, it can shoot down those very missiles I was talking about."

I pointed to the other turret. "Those are anti-air missiles. Simply put, its like those missile batteries, just that it turns arounnd, and can only target flying targets." I pasued for a bit here. "In truth they are very powerful, mainly because their missiles move fast enough to hit aircraft easily, and they have a very long range...but I don't understand why they put them here."

"Why?"

"Simply put, they cannot take out very large groups of aircraft. While this turret can hold up to 20 AA missiles, it means that it can reasonably take out a group of 20 planes. Any more, and its fairies will have to reload the turret before it can fire again." I pondered a little more, and realised something. "In truth, based on this picture alone, it cannot fight off large groups of aircraft."

Did Wo just lean in a little closer?

"For some reason, this shipgirl does not have any other air defense system other than those two turrets. While powerful, they alone cannot handle so many aircraft-if you sent, lets say, 100 planes against this ships, you would lose like 35 while that shipgirl would be destroyed. I think...the reason is that the humans meant for this shipgirl to be clustered together, so as to combine their firepower."

Ok, so what else was there? Oh yeah, those 'pistols'

"As for what she's holding, the one on the right...is her main gun. Its not that powerful, but it fires rather rapidly- 2-3 secs to reload. The one on the left..." I took a better look at it. "Its...I think its a laser designator. Basically, it uses something called a laser -a high powered beam of light- to mark out targets for her missiles. When you point it a target, most likely its makes any launched missles retarget and focus on where it is pointing. Its probably used for close to medium range engagments."

"That's all about her, I think." Of course, I actually haven't mentioned the possibilty of her having a cyberwarfare suite, but that was mainly because I didn't think that the Abyssals had anything that could be countered by E-War, and also another issue...

The fact that I don't really know anything, anything at all, other than information gleaned through online forums, the Thirty-Six Strategems, or The Art Of War, about naval combat, or combat in general.

I had no clue on what the hell a basic sensor net on a modern sensor net would comprise of, or deeper details about their armament, or anything about a ship's onboard equipment other than a few memorised posts or a couple of educated guesses. Or how to even think strategically or tactically.

I had no business in telling Wo here about how to fight off an advanced, stronger, humanity.

The most I could ever do, was what I was currently doing-try to use said pitiful amount of stored up knowledge, to try and deduce what ever bullshit I was inevitably going to be facing.

Meanwhile, as I angsted about my situation, Wo was already moving on.

"You said that aircraft could take help in destroying them. Is there anything else?"

"Oh yes," I blustered as my conciousness returned to the real world. As I mentioned, this type of shipgirl has very little armor-at least, it should be, given that a single torpedo would be enough to sink them." As I said that, I quickly went through the memories I had for the battle. Was I right-yes, I was. "One way to counter them would be to rush their positions; be it destroyers, cruisers or battleships-they will go down easily. Another way is to shell them continously with both direct or indirect fire-in other words, if you see them on the battlefield, try to suppress them immediately, as to prevent them from using their missiles effectively,"

"How about their 'missiles'? When you were a human, did you know of any way to stop them."

This question made me think. "Truth is, I don't know alot on how missiles work. But let me tell you what I know."

"The first way, would be like dodging torpedos, just harder-as they are about to hit you, jump aside at the last moment. This would cause you to just escape out of the missile's detection area, causing it to miss you. However, the problem is that its very, very hard to execute such a manuver, and also, the missile would just continue to focus on someone else. Thus, its not that effective."

I continued. "There are two other ways-shooting down the missile as it is flying towards you, or defeat/confuse its tracking system."

"The first is simple-you know those gatling cannons I talked about earlier on? It was altered so that instead of shooting down planes, it would shoot down missiles. There was a problem-like I mentioned, one of those can't really deal with massive swarms of missiles-but I think, in this case, its doable. The real problem is whether you can reproduce it fast enough-its rather complicated to design and build."

"The next is more complicated- there are two ways to do defeat a missile's tracking system-one is to scramble it, or create a 'decoy', which would make the missiles attack it instead of you. I don't know anything about how we did the first-" E-War is bullshit indeed, "-but I can talk about the second."

"First, I need to explain, that something about all of you originally defeated any tracking system humans could field."

There was surprise in Wo's eyes. "Really?"

"Yes. Normally, it was firstly that they couldn't work on you-for example, one system works by tracking the target that emitted the largest amount of heat-because all of you Abyssals have body temperatures below that of humans, those had no hope of working on you. However, when others were used, it turned out that they often went haywire when they came within a certain range of you."

"As far as I know, the reigning theory is that you are naturally emitting a form of magic which does that."

Seeing none of the Abyssals even slightly shift as I uttered the word 'magic', I went on. "Here's what I think- the humans have developed a new system which uses that magic alone to track all of you-most likely with the help of magic, I think."

"Which is where I think how a countermeasure would work-create a device that can be launched in the air, which would release a large amount of magic into its surroundings, thus attracting all of those missiles towards it." While I mentioned that, a blissful mental image blossomed in my mind.

With that, I waited for a response from Wo.

"I think...we will have to talk to her." Wo said with no small displeasure on her face.

She turned back and looked at me. "How about the rest of the shipgirl's new abilities?"

Ah yes.

Those strange new shit I saw.

Mass-weaponised magic is bullshit, after all. Especially considering that I have no actual knowledge of it, much less this new universe I have been dropped in.

Where to start? I guess I should explain that.

"First off, I would like to explain that while I know Abyssals and shipgirls have magic, I am not sure of the level of progress either of you and the human navies have made on it, aside from some of my deductions."

Now, where should I begin in describing said bullshit?

Ok, I guess I should go by chronological order. First up- dissecting the strange blast of light that appeared and its accompanying blast of energy that pushed back the Abyssal's fog.

"But before I begin; am I right to state that the 'fog' surrounding us is created by you Abyssals, or comes along with all of you?"

Wo blinked, before answering, "Yes, it comes with us, and as far as I know, it is part of us. We do not naturally create it...but for some, they can choose to summon it."

So the Abyssals may be able to muster magic too? Food for thought when it comes to devising techniques for them...hah, if they haven't come up with ways to use it for themselves.

"So, first, let me try to explain the strange the blast of light we saw earlier on, which caused the fog that you were hiding in to be pushed back. My theories are this; A, that the humans deployed a device that caused the fog to be pushed back, or B; the humans casted a spell that did the same thing. Both have similar yet different implications- if its the first, that means that shipgirls would be dependent on some sort of support ship in their operations, and must be within a certain range of it, alongside some sort of 'carrier' they are carried in, much more since that they need it to be able to take you on effectively. The second means that independent groups of shipgirls may be able to operate for a extended period within our territory, and wreck even more havoc on us. Either way, the fact that this 'fog' can be repelled means that our natural advantage of staging surprise attacks on shipgirls have been lost."

I paused. "This, and the fact that they were able to position your battlegroup's positions within the fog rather accurately means that they would be prepared for any attacks we can launch on them, and that they have the natural advantage 'of being on the battlefield first'. They would be more prepared for our arrival, and alpha strikes like the massed missile attacks would happen."

"Any way we can stop them from dissipating the fog?" Wo asked.

I shook my head. "As far as I know, no. My knowledge of magic is too little to devise any form of countermeasure, and unless we can prevent them from activating the device/spell in the first place, it would be best to not try anything in this direction."

I went on to the next thing-the blue beams that flying across the battlefield, and were possibly suppressing the Battleship Princess. What exactly were they? Could they be magic, or-

Oh right, railguns. If not, any form of electromagnetic weapons. Despite glowing blue, they still had the plume of plasma and superheated air around the projectile, right? Besides, considering the advancements humanity has made, it would not be unreasonable to assume that they had them already. And fast-firing ones at that. Magitech or not, this was still something I did not want to face.

"Next up, those strange blue beams that were aimed for the Princess's face?" I grabbed a second piece of paper and begun drawing on it. "That isn't magic-its a weapon that was being developed quite a long time ago by humans-its called a 'electromagnetic weapon', or 'railgun', or 'gauss weapon'. All you need that it uses electromagnetism to propell shells at far faster velocities than normal guns. With that, a railgun the size of a destroyer's could be as powerful as a battleship's. The problem is, that it requires a lot of electrical power, and thus is the reason why shipgirls aren't using on their rigging-probably too much for the rigging to take. Also, it probably generates massive amounts of recoil that could blow its user away."

"Unlike normal shells, you can't dodge them-they move just too fast for you to be able to do that. The only countermeasure is that you are able to keep moving and prevent it from getting a lead on you. Also, they seem to not be that accurate- they were firing from far away after all-like at least a hundred kilometres away- and seemed to be used as suppressive fire. If they are being fired on you, it means that they are trying to seperate your formation, make you easier to divide- and win." By the time I finished my speech, I passed a simple diagram detailing the workings of a railgun and a gauss weapon to Wo."

That reminded me of the tactics that the humans had employed. "Speaking of which, the humans' actions throughout the battle- they were using something known as a 'divide and conquer' strategy-basically, separate your enemy into individual, divided groups, then hunt down each individual quickly with multiple wolfpacks." I grabbed another piece of paper, and begun sketching the battle formation I saw during the mop up phase of the battle. "That's what the humans did in the battle you showed me-they aimed to divide all of you into one-man units, then hunt down all of you with battleships and cruisers, then finishing you guys off with a couple of torpedo runs. I...don't have much to say, just that again, something we should prevent from happening- if we face those kinds of tactics, it would be best to practice splitting into squadrons of 5-7 units, to allow to seperate our forces and keep them sufficiently strong at the same time."

"How about the way that the shipgirls managed to catch up to us so quickly?"

"I think the answer to that is simple- remember the strange device we saw that was part of the shipgirls' rigging and lit up when activated? I think that is the one responsible for boosting their speed. It also means that the humans probably rely more on magitech, instead of using actual magic-perhaps the 'fog dispeller being a device' theory is the correct one." I paused as I considered my next sentence. "Like the railgun...we won't have any countermeasure...but again, we could always reverse-engineer it? Are your sisters capable of using magic?"

"Depends. I...myself have not seen it so prominently other than some of the Princesses use it...and a bunch of light cruisers." She glanced at one of the Ris, who was suddenly trying to ignore her. She then turned back to me, continuing, "But as I know, some of the 'lesser' ones, like 'telepathy' or 'memory-sharing', are common too."

I made a mental note to ask her more on the matter later.

"I see...I guess there isn't much to talk about their strange weaponry now...although," I thought about how the poor Battleship Princess had been downed by a single spear strike, "its surprising to see that a shipgirl had an extra melee weapon, much more seeing that it was rather effective."

"Maybe it was magic?"

"Possible." Ideas of enchanted, upgraded melee weaponry popped up in my mind. "I think, it may be possible for us to reuse that idea, given our stronger bodies and possible better access to magic. It would help close the gap, at least." I didn't really like the idea of melee, particularly where ranged combat was prominent, but it was tempting. Improving the close-combat capabilities of Abyssals would help give us a edge, particularly in the cases of nasty brawls like the one I saw earlier.

Aside from that, I suddenly realised that the light pouring into the room was turning orange, and looking out of the window, I saw a beautiful view of a red sun sinking into a orange dyed fog, alongside with a good look of the base.

"As its getting late, I believe we can discuss this further around tomorrow morning." Wo stood up. "For example, some more ideas, and discussion over defenses."

"Yeah..." Suddenly, I felt some fatigue settling into my body. "I probably need some rest, and I also need time to think of other ideas."

Suddenly, Wo extended a gloved hand to me. "I believe, you all enjoy shaking hands after a good discussion."

I grasped it and shook. "Yes. At least me, for one."

Wo then turned to her Secretaries and told them, "Please escort...hang on, what is your name?"

I blustered. "Um...just...call me Magician for now."

One of the Ris giggled a little. "Isn't that the name of a human who performs tricks on a stage?"

Considering my current attitude and situation...that was rather fitting.

"Yes. Yes it is." A second giggle, and I was ushered out of the room.

Wo watched them leave, before settling back into her couch. Apparently 'Magician', as he called himself, had been a lot more useful than she thought- she had gained quite a bit of knowledge on the humans, and if her instincts were right, there would be more he would offer.

Still, it was strange, a human becoming one of them...

She focused her energies, and focused on a mind that was far away, although heading her way.

"Hello, Giant-Phoneix-That-Watches, what more would you want other than my assistance?"

The pleasant voice of a certain cruiser answered her call with her mind.

"I need you to instead of attacking the humans, come over here instead."

"Huh, what's this? You call for my help, after losing your Commander, and now what? Am I a lackey to come at your back and call?" The voice was both mocking and teasing.

Wo ignored its malicious undertones. "There's someone I need you to meet. And bring your fleet over, they may not do well against the humans anyway." Before her counterpart could cut in, Wo quickly explained everything about her visitor.

"So, you think he can help...heh, might as well. Everyone is hurting...perhaps its time to hear a few new answers."

Wo didn't answer. 


	4. Chapter 1-04 - The Enemy's Perspective

Screams.

Anger.

Raging voices of battle, the cries of her friends, her family, shot and battered by a multitude of shots.

Monsters, emerging from the fog, charging, raging-

Herself, holding the line, lining up a shot as a monster lunged for her-

Dodging, moving, firing, missing, it went for her face-

She woke up.

Hinata Tsumiki sat up quickly in her bunk, breathing heavily, sweat pouring down her beautiful features. Instinctively, she touched the large bandage that was on her left cheek. For some reason, the wound there had began to hurt

Muttering, she blindly reached for the wall on her right, before finding purchase on a grip and tugging hard. A panel slid open, revealing a half-filled water bottle. Grabbing it, she twisted open the cap and began to down its contents in a single go. Inhaling as she finished, she set the bottle back in its place, and slowly slid the panel shut, making as little noise as possible. At the same time, she looked at the bunks to her left. Thankfully, their occupants were still fast asleep.

She sat there in silence, trying to settle and calm herself. Within the darkness, small lights lined on the walkways and some of the bunks, meant to help people with their orientation. In the background, a low whirring noise reminded her of the fusion-powered turbines that powered the ship, and around, she could hear her comrades happily purring as they went through dreams in their sleep.

"They should be dreams, at least, if they sleep so well," Hinata muttered to herself, a smile appearing on her face.

Better than hers. All she got were nightmares. Ever since the fierce battle a few days ago...a mad Abyssal charging at you and managing to slice your face was going to leave no good impressions on anyone, after all.

Turning back to her right, she waved at a screen that was set in the wall. It lit up, showing her a screen that included her identity, parameters, and the time. According to it, it was still too early to rise.

Rolling back to sleep off the next few hours, she hoped that the nightmares would not come back.

At a preset time, the lights in the room flickered to life, and the synthesised voice of a fierce officer rang loudly across the dorms.

Girls in the bunks, some with the quick precision they demonstrated in their battles, others as slow as sloths.

Hinata herself was of the former, and had reached the floor in a few seconds-

Only to be grabbed in a bear hug by her teammate, who proceeded to squeeze as hard as possible.

Despite being a shipgirl-and a battleship at that- it was starting to hurt; mainly as shipgirls still had some vestiges of their super-strength even when they had not summoned their rigging. That, or the smaller girl was putting as much effort into her hug. How else could a cruiser manage that to a battleship?

"Knock it off, Xiaoyan." Hinata said irritably to her Chinese counterpart in fluent English.

Chang Xiaoyan giggled and let go, quickly ducking to avoid the quick slap that Hinata at aimed at her face.

"Hehe, Nagamon-san, don't you know that a good hug in the morning is a good perk up for the body?" Xiaoyan replied in English, abeit with a massive cheeky grin on her face, and the added honorific.

"For the last time, its Hinata, not Nagamon- and also, that isn't true and you know it." With a huff, Hinata turned around and tried to ignore the annoying troll that was her squadmate and junior.

"Awwwww...someone doesn't enjoy being referred to the legendary shipgirl~ Isn't that disrespectful~"

"Talk about yourself. You are probably doing more harm than good to Prinz Eugen's reputation by trying to look like her."

"Well, how could I not act out the role of a cute little sister without looking like one?"

As the two parried each other's remarks, another squadmate joined them. Kim Jae-Hee, a slim and slender Korean, slided up to them with her best poker face. "Again?"

"Oh good, Jae-Hee, could you please chase away this pack of salty potato chips?" Hinata quickly requested her, hoping to get out of this uncomfortable contest, which had been edging closer and closer to sexual innuendo.

"Aha~ Who's being salty here~"

The trio of girls bickered and teased all the way to the rapidly extending queue to the bathrooms. Soon they had settled into various stalls, with all of them adjacent to each other.

Xiaoyan immediately dropped her bombshell. "So! I heard you have been having 'night talks' with the onboard Admiral."

Immediately Hinata and the others were surrounded by the other girls eager for some good morning gossip. Hinata, feeling uncomfortable, quickly replied, "No, its not what you are thinking about- we just meet on the deck, and talk about life- and- and all that, alright?!" She lost her cool as she finished her sentence.

"Oooo~ so there's something going on~"

"Hinata-san, how lucky~"

"So what did the shy guy talk about?"

While a chorus of excited high-pitched voices in multiple languages sounded out, luckily for Hinata, Jae-Hee stepped up, and sweetly, although forcefully, told the other girls, "Excuse me, could all of you kindly back off for now? As you can tell, we need to wash ourselves~"

The crowd stopped in shock, before scattering off as fast as they came. Hinata sighe in relief, right before turning to Jae-Hee, saying, "You didn't need to be so harsh on them..."

Jae-Hee replied, "Sorry, madam, but I don't think they should be bothering you so much over your personal matters." Before Hinata could reply, Jae-Hee had walked over to Xiaoyan, and flicked her index finger at her forehead. The chinese girl let out a high-pitched howl and clutched it in pain, all the while hopping on the spot. "And you should stop being such an annoying nosy parker," chided the senior to her junior.

Hinata, watching all that, simply sighed and turned back to the showers.

The trio reached the mess hall of the ship a few minutes, all dressed in identical uniforms.

The hall was full of people up for breakfast- already a queue snaking around the tables had formed long time ago, and chatter filled the air as shipmates talked and gossiped among themselves, As they entered the hall, some of the people who noticed quickly greeted them, while they tried to be as polite to the officers around. Hinata eyes surveyed the entire area, hoping to catch sight of a certain person with a cap on his head...

No luck. He must have had the food sent straight up.

Joining the queue for the collection of their breakfast, Hinata caugt sight of the familar flag mounted on the far side of the hall- its top half dominated by blue and its bottom half by red, with a white circle in the middle, which was surrounded by yellow stars.

The flag of the East Asian Confederacy.

Formed around 25 years ago, it comprised of Japan, China, Unified Korea, the Southeast Asian states as well as a few Central Asian nations, its formation - and the many pacts and alliances preceding it - was the logical end of the proverb 'cooperating to fight a greater enemy', with said 'enemy' being the Abyssals.

Seeing it, Hinata felt a strange sense of pride well up in her, alongside with memories of her parents and grandparents describing their personal experiences in the various grand offensives.

"Always remember this, Hinata Tsumiki. When you go out and fight, always remember, you are fighting not just for us, but for this nation, for the friends you have, but most importantly, for all of humanity. Each Abyssal you destroy or sink, will mean one less to oill to free humanity from their curse. If you ever find self-doubt inside yourself, always remember this."

Her last words from her grandfather echoed in her ear. In a daze, she forgot that it was her turn, causing Xiaoyan to pinch her to get her attention. Hinata slapped her hand away, and quickly collected her tray while trying to conceal her slight embarrassment.

As the trio sat down at an empty table, Jae-Hee piped up. "So...how's that wound?" At the same time, she pointed to the bandage on her cheek.

Hinata winced a little. "Normally? It doesn't hurt at all, but because of those nightmares I've been getting, everytime I wake up in the middle of the night, I feel it sting like mad."

"Hmmm...are you really sure it isn't leftover psychic magic?" Jae-Hee inquired, flashing her 'very inquistive' face.

Both Hinata and Xiaoyan rolled their eyes. As quiet and intense Jae-Hee was, she had a very weird interest in the supernatural, or at least the 'spooky' part of magic, or to put it simply, the magic that Abyssals were believed to be wielding, some of which included attacks on one's mental state, giving them residual memories, etc. etc. Which weren't exactly wrong, given the 'strange' nature of Abyssals in the first place, or that magic was a very well-researched subject and considered a branch of science at this point.

Of cause, some people tend to forget to take things with a pinch of salt. Especially those with very dedicated hobbies.

After rolling their eyes twice, Xiaoyan began, "Seriously, Jae-Hee? Dr. Zhang already mentioned and confirmed that its just residual trauma from getting jumped on by a mad Abyssal. There's no magic involved. At. All."

Jae-Hee simply replied, "The doctor could be wrong, you know."

At which Xiaoyan proceeded to metaphorically tear her hair out, and began speaking a very hurried, chinese-obscenities filled rant in a very irritated tone, about how doctors had a very small margin of error compared to some one like Jae-Hee who was so bloody obsessed about the 'magick' all the time before realising that Jae-Hee's grin had been growing wider and wider the past few moments.

Upon said realization, Xiaoyan simply collapsed back into her chair, with both her hands covering her face in embarressment, while her seniors proceeded to giggle sliently.

At which Hinata just noticed a very nervous girl standing besides her, quietly waiting to be noticed. She looked barely out of the Academy, and was holding two pieces of paper in her hands.

"Um, yes?"

"Ai! Um...um..." Poor girl was at a loss for words. "I...I...I am Corporal Sayaka Tsunemori and I...I have been transferred to your squad!" Her speech changed to frantic, nervous Japanese at the end, and she hurriedly thrusted her hands forward, with two pieces of paper clasped in them. One of them was a piece of official-looking printed paper, while the other was a napkin.

Hinata stared in slience for a few moments, where Jae-Hee quickly told the young girl to sit down and put the things on the table. Hinata picked up the first and took a good look at it- sure enough, it was the letter indicating a transfer between squadrons and platoons. Skimming through it and reading the important bits, Hinata then strteched out her left arm. On it was attached a gauntlet with a device mounted on it- using her right hand, she accessed her intercom email program. Sure enough, there was an attachment with a replica of the letter she currently held in her hand inside.

She guessed whose work it would definitely be, and sighed. Does he have to fulfill my need for a new teammate so quickly?

She took one more look at Sayaka's particulars. A recent graduate from the Kanmusu Academy, was in coastal defense for the few months she was in service, did do a couple of ocean patrols, and was recently transferred to the EACNS Tsukuyomi just before her launch. Placed on the reserve list, a cruiser, someone who straddled the line between light and heavy (although tilting somewhat to the latter).

So the next operation will probably be her first combat operation. Hinata thought silently. Looking back at her, who had calmed down somewhat, she was back to speaking in English, although that was still a hint of nervousness, despite Xiaoyan and Jae-Hee's fussing over her.

Letting the other two take care of the new arrival, Hinata turned to the other piece of paper. Almost instantly her mood turned from calm to extremely irritated. After all, what kind of idiot chooses to make a poor girl act as courier inatead of just talking to her directly?

Picking up the napkin gingerly, she turned it around, and read the message. It was written in English and Chinese, but in a handwriting she recognised all too well. And loathed.

Your maintainence has been moved to 2 hours from now. Sorry about that. Oh, and also, nice new comrade.

-F.B.R

Hinata crushed the piece of paper. Meanwhile, she turned to the girl, who now looked a lot more comfortable then she was about a few minutes ago.

"Ok, Sayaka, isn't it?"

"Ah! Yes!"

"So from now on, you are under my command. So...um..." Hinata suddenly found herself scrambling for words, panicking.

Luckily Jae-Hee quickly filled in the blank. "Just follow our instructions and you will be fine."

"...yeha, that's it." On Sayaka's side, Xiaoyan let out a small giggle.

"Also, maintainence has been moved. Our slot is now, arggghh, 2 hours from now. So our morning exercise regime will have to be moved, and I think we should take the time to...errr...let Sayaka familarise herself with us first."

Now Xiaoyan made a face. "Is it you-know-who again?"

"Correct. Irritating person, he is..." Hinata gritted her teeth, and sat down to continue eating.

The four of them, having completed several duties in the time between their breakfast and now, were right in front of a blast door that led to the Rigging Maintenance Area.

As a screen woke up, a few small floating spheres appeared, along with a fairy on one of them. The fairy chirruped a greeting, which Hinata replied with a wave. She stepped forward onto an indicated space, and the screen flashed again, now containing instructions to place her hand on a scanner that was next to it. As she did so, the spheres split up, the one with the fairy maneuvering to right in front of her left eye, while the other two flew to her side. Three things happened simultaneously; the scanner began checking her biometircs; the sphere with the fairy began a retinal scan of both eyes; and the two other spheres began checking her body dimensions. A few moments later, the screen lit green with a loud beep, indicating her authentication. Hinata then stepped back, letting the rest of her group repeat the authentication process. With all of them authenticated and their visit recorded in the ship's computer mainframe, the large blast doors moved apart at a fast speed. The fairy on the floating sphere saluted them, before flying off to whatever compartment she came from.

The maintenance deck was divided into several sections - an armory in the centre area, and on both sides of the armory were rooms that contained a multitude of maintainence stations, with each side accesing one side's deployment bays, all the way from the ship's bow to stern. Inside the massive rooms were a series of maintenance stations - while shipgirls sat in those stations with their rigging manifested, various engineers, fairies and drones flew about, attending them and conveying equipment about. Some places even had a bunch of napping shipgirls. On the far end of the left side there was a series of massive blast doors, meant to be opened during deployment. Those led to the shipgirl deployment areas of the carrier. Underneath the entire scene was an undercurrent of chatter and the sounds of machinery.

The group formed into a single file, turning right into a column of stations. Passing by a group of shipgirls, they reached their destination with a set of boxes at its side and a sign labelled 'D43' above them. Seated at the stations table was a dark-skinned man in engineer overalls, messing with a piece of equipment as a whole host of fairies surrounded him. Upon spotting the group, some of them flew over to greet Hinata in several languages, all to tune of 'Good Morning Lieutenant' whereas the others starting poking the man, informing him of the group's arrival.

The engineer stood up and turned around, flashing a wide smile. "I see you are a bit early as always, Lieutanent."

Hinata, in response, gave him a really nasty glare, that failed to wipe the smile off his face. "Lets get to the point, Faiz bin Razali. Why has my - or rather, our maintenance period been moved up the timetable?"

The Malay engineer simply shrugged. "Admiral's orders. He apparently needed to get a few more rounds of testing and training with your squad's 'special' rigging. Most likely it wasn't his decision, but High Command's. The higher-ups are really keen to see the MK IX Rigging do well - you know, raise civilian morale, get more reason for all the research money spent, and really do in the Abyssals."

"H-huh? S-shouldn't the recent mass victories by the North American Federation with the Mark IXs be convincing enough?" Sayaka took this moment to pipe up.

"That's true - but the thing is, the Mark IXs - some are saying they aren't achieving those desired results; at the moment, the NAF have been sticking to the same tactic of outnumbering isolated packs of Abyssals with superior firepower, so a number of people have said that the improvements have been rather marginal, instead of significant. This is true somewhat, and given the cost and research of building the Mark IX units, and that it is a testbed for a whole lot of prototype magitech; people will get nervous, after all."

Jae-Hee spoke up. "Faiz is right - the last battle, we didn't really participate, instead we were mainly on standby."

"Well, that's your explanation -" Someone shouted a request, causing Faiz to spin around, grab a tool from a cabinet, and toss it to an attendant tricopter drone and its attendant fairies. They caught it gracefully, chirruping happily, right before zooming off. "So, um, shall we start with replacing the newbie's equipment?"

"Eh?" Sakuya looked a little flustered, before realizing what he meant and walking over to the station, and sitting down on the provided bench.

"Hmm...Sayaka Tsunemori...Corporal, Heavy Cruiser...hey, your bonded spirit is Ashigara, how are you not acting like her-" Xiaoyan slapped him, while glaring at him. "Ow...okay, now I need you to manifest your rigging."

Sayaka closed her eyes and concentrated, and a white light appeared around her-it then coalesced into a shape, faded, and in its place was the rigging of a shipgirl. It had four turrets with twin guns in them, with two armor plates that were reminiscent of the hulls of ships circling her side and back. On her hands were two quadruple torpedo launchers, one on each hand. Her head had a head band with communication equipment attached to it as well as a see-through visor. Fairies popped out of places in the rigging, and a few tried to massage their master's shoulders.

"Standardized Rigging, Mark VII, Heavy Cruiser Variant A." Faiz muttered. "Good balance of armor and speed, heavy focus on gunnery." Turning to Sayaka, he grinned, and asked, "So, your shooting skills must be really good right?

"From what I got, she's a natural at that. 85% hit rate, even while moving at high speeds and doing medium range fire." Hinata added before Sayaka could answer herself.

"Ok, so now I'm going to remove the entire rigging assembly and then replace it with the Mark IX unit that we have - as you probably know, throughout the whole process, you are going to feel somewhat uncomfortable, mainly due to having no rigging attached to you. So you would want to hold on to a pillow or something..." Grabbing a small pillow on the adjacent table, he handed it to her, all the while barking out orders to the watching fairies.

His fingers then danced across the computer screen on the table. While the host of drones and fairies began swarming the few large boxes placed next to the maintainence station, a few large mechanical arms decended from a compartment set in the ceiling. Two other arms shot out from the pillars on Sayaka's side, and clamped her old rigging tightly. The large arms then began to hum with electrical and magical power, and began dissasembling Sayaka's rigging. Firstly, both arms headed for her turrets. A tool emerged from the arm, while another arm went and held up the turret. The tool then began removing rivets and screw from the turret mount. After a few moments, a 'clunk' sound came from both turrets, and were separated from their mounts. Sayaka winced at this point, as the arms began to work on the next two turrets, while another arm began to separate the torpedo launchers on her hands. After they finished off, an arm went to her head, gingerly removing the headgear that acted as communications and radar for the shipgirl.

Finally, as the main body was the last thing left, the remaining arms took time as they carefully removed it from Sayaka. As it finally came off, it was moved to where the other pieces were gathered, allowing fairies to remove any remaining fuel or ammo, as well as dismantle the machinery.

Sayaka did not look her best at this point. "Do you need anything? You know, I can go get a drink-" This time, it was Hinata's turn to kick him. "Hey, I was just being polite!"

"You look creepy, more like." The look that Faiz gave her totally meant that he did not find her reason ridiculous and asinine, and that she was totally not kicking him out of spite. Sayaka let out a giggle, half nervous and half amused. "D-do you really not like him, madam?"

"He's irritating." added Xiaoyan. "He goes out of his way to annoy others, backtalks everyone, and is also selfish. The only reason he's our attending engineer is because he's somehow 'an expert in the field', or that Jae-Hee won't let anyone but her boyfriend touch her when maintenance ha-"

"Ahem." Faiz, with an irritated face, cut in. "Do I have to tell you again, fake pringles? We were childhood friends in Seoul, and that's it-"

"Shaddap. I have seen both of you at it, and honestly, you guys are worse than Hinata and the Admir-"

Both Jae-Hee and Hinata started to round on their annoying younger teammate, before they were interrupted by the group of fairies that were handling the boxes. Meanwhile, Sayaka looked at them, with her 'curious' face on.

Faiz took the opportunity to dash around the station, whereas the others took the chance to separate from what could have been an immature catfight. Moments later, he was conducting the group of drones and fairies as they carried the partly assembled pieces of the new rigging back behind and in front of Sayaka, before picking up the older pieces of equipment and bringing them back. The new rigging looked more modern - it had more curves than the older one, and everyone could clearly see that the new one had a lot more electrical parts. Already other engineers had come to take a look, alongside with some shipgirls and fairies.

"Allright, time to start." Faiz rolled up his sleeves, and begin to try to lift what was the superstructure of the rigging. He failed, and quickly released it. Looking at a device attached to his right hand, he tapped it a few times, pressing some buttons, and a glow briefly washed over his body. As Hinata detected magic on his body, Faiz tried again, this time lifting up the piece of equipment with ease. He carried it over to the station, placing it behind Sayaka. The host of fairies also aided him, carrying the weapon systems of the magitech - including what looked like a large rod - and the various mechanical arms swiftly but carefully assembled the rigging, completing it within a couple of seconds. When the last piece was attached, Faiz grabbed a cable from his station, and attached it between the rigging and his computer.

Hinata marveled at the newly assembled piece of machinery. Looking more impressive than the old Mark VII, it was painted silvery-grey, with a hint of chrome on the more armored areas. The configuration of the turrets were the same, but there were a few details on the turrets themselves that belied their higher level of technology, such as a smaller profile, some heat sinks, and a few electrical components on the barrels. There was no 'smokestack' on the back part, instead having a device that was covered by a large armor plate. The armor plates that surrounded the sides of her lower body did not look very much like ship hulls, and lastly, instead of torpedo launchers, there were a set of missile pods attached to her arms.

As Faiz tapped on the console, the rigging slowly went into its active state. Sayaka jerked back, eyes widening, as parts of the entire weapon system began lighting up. The visor came alive, and a series of numbers scrolled through it. The turrets jerked, than swiveled around as Faiz initiated self-diagnostics. Meanwhile, Sayaka's old fairies leaped up, and began observing the rigging, popping inside it and out to fix minor issues, polish it a little, pet their master, or simply gaze at the wondrous union of magic and technology.

Sayaka stood up unsteadily. Watching her, Hinata was reminded of her own experience when she first recieved her own set of the Mark IX rigging. When she first recieved it, she was unaccustomed to the surge of power that the system supplied her. In the end, she was bouncing all around the workshop, frightening researchers and staff.

There would be no such thing here though. The software and hardware on the rigging had been refined, and the magic conduits were now more stable - a sign that the units were all ready for deployment.

"Wow, what's this feeling...s-so -" Sayaka murmured under her breath.

"Powerful. Yep, you must be feeling stronger now, ready to fight!" Xiaoyan had a wide, encouraging smile on her face as she petted her new comrade's shoulder. Jae-Hee also went along with similar words of encouragement.

And the mood just happened to be utterly vaporized by Faiz pushing the group apart to remove the set of cables connecting Sayaka's new rigging to his computer. Ignoring the irritated glares aimed his way, Faiz simply informed Sayaka, "Well, self-diagnostics just finished, which means you should be ready to go except that you do need a new set of supplies and your crew also needs a bit of retraining."

"In the meantime, let me do the usual set of maintenance on your comrades first." Faiz indicated Hinata and the rest. 


	5. Chapter 1-05 - Thoughts, Exploration

"Help!"

My voice echoed across the black, dark ocean, but no one responded.

There was no light, not even any echo of a godforsaken moon. I hurriedly looked around, hugging myself, trying to give myself some protection against the neverending darkness.

I looked around and -

crash. Splash slop woosh -

creeeeaaaakkkk

I turned around. And I saw a massive shape rising of the dark water - illuminated by many globes of light along its shape - and two red flames stuck in the middle of it.

I backed off, yet it advanced closer, and a terrible, haunting female voice rang through my head.

"Hello, you who I called -"

I screamed.

And woke up. I quickly pushed myself upwards, heaving.

Looking around my surroundings, I saw what was the same dorm that I had been given to stay in at the Abyssals' base.

Part of me sagged. I was desperately hoping that everything was still indeed a dream, again and again, praying and praying to God continously the previous night.

No such luck, it appears. I pushed myself of the bed and headed for the wardrobe. Opening it, I looked at myself for a second time. My eyes, originally a rich brown, were now the black pupils with azure flames that was reminscient of all Abyssals. My glasses, were now half-moon and black, when they had been round and orange. My watch, with all its electronics and solar-panels, was strangely still there, although I dreaded to think how magic could have done it.

I didn't remember what I wore before the 'Incident' (as I called it) happened, but I definitely wasn't wearing smart long pants with belt, a milky-white t-shirt, or the peaked hat, black covered shoes and overcoat that was stored inside the wardrobe now.

If the Abyssals had a fucking goddess, I guess my priority would be to tell her to not muck around with my memories and give me 'stock edgy fanfic protag no. 10', which admittedly, was what I would love to cosplay in. Not much good done though, especially when you are about to get blown to kingdom come within the bloody week.

Speaking of which...As I put the full outfit on, I began reflecting on the discussion I had with myself the previous night.

After I was sent back to my room, and got told to reach the docks in the morning, I had asked myself. What was I supposed to do now, given that a force of extremely hostile shipgirls were headed here?

And really, was I really capable of helping the Abyssals? And also, should I really help them, seeing that I could be also destroying humanity at the same time?

I had considered my options. Running away - no that was out. There was nowhere to run to, and I didn't even know my capabilities as an Abyssal, which included whether I could even move on the water at any rate.

Surrendering to the shipgirls - possible, but what would be my fate? This wasn't like those silly omakes and stories I read - most definitely, this was a war. Given that I was an Abyssal, normal human rights would not apply to me, and I could be tortured by legions of shipgirls wanting vengence for their fallen comrades. Hell, there would be even a waiting list, with all sorts of people waiting to use me as a whipping post - or worse.

Or I could stay and help the Abyssals. Which, had its own problems.

One, which I had berated myself over and over again, was that I was hopeless at this. Facing an experienced admiral or commander would just get me and any forces I led butchered. Or, more realistically, Wo might just see me as another grunt - and get sent out to die at the hands of shipgirls.

Two? By helping the Abyssals, I could be also dooming Humanity at the same time. After all, with all the measures I suggested, to a group of sapient Abyssals, I could just be sending humanity, my true race, back to the shores again. With overwhelming firepower and magic, alongside thinking...

It was a scary thought.

In the end though, I had simply slept on it. I had pushed myself to the bed out of exhaustion.

And right now, as I finished up my dressing, I pushed those thoughts back to the corner of my head.

If there's one way to describe the base I was currentky on, it was massive. As I didn't have an accurate meeting time, and not to mention the possibilitity of being in the wrong timezone, I had chosen to spend some time to look around.

The base platform had risen about two meters from the sea level itself, and was in a simple, rectangular shape, measuring about 300 by 60 meters. Railings adorned its sides, meant to prevent some unlucky or clumsy sod from stimbling and falling into the depths below. On this platform, were the main buildings. Alongside to the dorms and command center that I had visited yesterday, there were a series of silos and warehouses, and a couple of extra buildings, all meant for a series of purposes. One of them were pretty much an Abyssal's recreation of what was most likely a Shinto shrine. While missing things like religious busts, tablets and mikos, it was still a pretty good imitation, even having an elevated platform, a small flight of stairs, arches, alongside the circle drawn on its floor.

Looking at the structure, curiously, the black metal started to move and 'flow' slightly. Perhaps the platform was made of living metal?

Returning to the sides of the platforms, a number of destroyers, battleships and a very specific Air Defense Princess patrolled, most with their eyes pointing to the ocean, possibly waiting for any form of an attack.

When I had walked past them, however, most broke their vigiliance to gaze at me. While nobody did talk to me straight, it was clear that I was still a topic of interest, most likely thanks to being a male...I guess.

Suddenly, there was a commotion. Looking around, I watched a cruiser shout a word of alarm, and other patrollers ran to her side. I myself running up to the railing, I watched as a battlegroup of Abyssals emerge from the fog on the far side, and began sailing up towards the base.

I quickly tapped another Abyssal. "Hey, um, what's going on?"

Her face turned sharply, revealing red eyes and porcelain white skin. She simply stared at me for a few seconds, as if in confusion on what to say.

Another Abyssal did speak up though. "Allies! They are going to help fight off the shipgirls!" With excitement on their faces, both broke off in a run.

Slightly dumbfounded, I stood there for a few moments, before a familar voice entered my head. Wo.

"Come down to the docks now." Apparently she didn't sound...too pleased?

I shook my head, and darted for the building that housed the entrance to the docks.

Reaching the building, I entered it, brisk-walked through a couple of walkways, thus reaching a flight of stairs twisting downwards. Quickly heading downwards, I reached the bottom in no time.

The 'docks' of the base was in truth, a set of connected floating walkways that extended into everywhere in the area underneath the shadow of the main platform overhead. Illuminated by several 'lights', which shined spotlights into essential areas, I watched as the host of Abyssals reached the docks, stepping onto them, desummoning their armor, and heading for the staircase that was right behind me.

Looking around for a few moments, I spotted my targets - Wo and her two Secretaries were standing by near one of the berths. Heading for them, I noticed that all three of them were in full battle regalia - both Secretaries had their rigging deployed, and both of them held a weapon in their hand - the one with a ponytail held a curved sword which was similar to a katana, whereas the other currently held a polearm of some sort, most likely a halbred. As for their leader herself, her 'cap' was acting more erratic, breathing smoke at a faster rate and had its tentacles fiailing erratically.

Stepping up to them, I realised that all three had grim expressions on their faces. "Errrrr, what's going on?" I asked, a hint of nervousness in my voice. At that point, both Secretaries dropped their concentration, and began ranting off.

"Its that cruiser. That annoying, stuck up cruiser." The Ri with a ponytail had a diagusted look on her face.

"Hmph. She uses the fact that she's a Demon to annoy us the entire year. Especially the Commander. I don't understand why she does that too. And now that the Commander asked her for help -"

"Enough." Wo's voice cut through our relaxed attention with ease. All of us, turned back to attention, surprising even myself.

A figure, from the far distance, gradually closed in on our current position. As it reached us, I took a good look at its- no, her - appearence.

The Abyssal was tall, towering around my height. She had a pair of glowing dark blue eyes, and underneath those eyes was a cruel smirk. On her body was a black, sleeveless dress, and on her arms were two gauntlets. But the most interesting thing was that she lacked legs of any sort - replaced instead, by a monstrous, hull-like structure with a gaping that contained more teeth that any shark, which gashed repeatedly. On its side were two turrets, dented and corrupted like the features of any Abyssal.

Reaching the berth, her floating body slided seamlessly from above the surface of the water onto the walkways. Setting her gaze upon the four of us, her smirk grew wider.

She spoke, her voice clattering, cruel and cold. "Haha, look at you, Phoenix. What's this posse, eh? Aren't you supposed to organize a full battle parade, in honorance of your rescuer?"

Wo parried, with a tone of carefully prepared menace. "Even in such dire situations, you still want to celebrate?"

Her arrogant tone lowered just a bit, but still contained that aura of entitlement and hubris. "Why should we? When we are going to battle, we must raise our spirits, so that we can fully win the battle, should we not?"

"And again, you show your stupid amounts of ignorance, Beacon-Of-Pride-And-Power."

As the two bickered in the background, I nervously turned to the Secretaries for help. "Um...so who is she...?"

Suddenly I found a very, very annoyed face staring at me, barely a few tens of centimetres away my own. Being lifted off the walkway by a pair of strong, delicate hands, I panicked.

"How DARE you! I am a Demon, of the Light Cruiser type! I am Beacon-Of-Pride-And-Power, and I demand from you again, how dare you not know me -"

"Beacon!" Wo's hurried shout cut through her psychopathic rant. "He's my guest, and put him down!" I spotted the Secretaries brandish their weapons and guns, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

The Demon still held me, but the terrifying, angered face she had was now one of puzzlement and curiosity. Which was replaced by a wide grin,

"So! You must be who Phoenix was talking about last night...and a male version of us, too! Ehehehehe..." She let go of me, and I collapsed onto the floor in a crumpled heap. The Secretaries quickly ran across, helping me to my feet.

"So, Phoenix, you have you provided a place for us to talk, or do you want to just spend all day standing here?" Wo didn't answer, instead simply walking towards the staircase. "Oooooh, so you don't want to talk, eh?" The Demon giggled, before waving her hands over her lower body. The gnashing semi-sentinent 'rigging' glowed white, before being replaced by a miniskirt and a pair of legs. The Demon began to follow Wo, gracefully steppingmon the walkways.

The rest of us then trailed behind.

"...and that concludes my preliminary report on the advanced shipgirls." Back in Wo's office, I had given a small lecture on the unseen capabilities on the advanced shipgirls, abeit a more well written and fluid one. Holding a stick in my right hand that was meant to point towards the board currently hanging from the ceiling (as for where in the world did the chains and hook come from, I had no idea), I waited for Wo's guest to react.

She had one elbow on her leg, chin on fist, as if contemplating my words. Surprisingly, given my first impressions of her, she had not uttered a single snide sentence throughout the entire presentation, instead remaining dead serious.

"So, other than these devices you thought of, what can we do?" she finally asked.

"Eh? I don't get what you mean..."

"All you told us is what those 'shipgirls' can do. Not like we know...but how do we fight them? Therefore, 'what can we do'? You said you were a human, right? So you can teach us a few of the human tricks, right?"

Awwww shit. "Well here's the thing...I know a bit of everything we humans have came up with, but with strategies I'm not so sure -"

"If you are not sure, than since you told us everything you can, you are useless, unless you can fight, no? Isn't that how humans live by?"

"Wait that's not exactly true-"

"And if you are useless, then we can just throw you off this base - no, better, we can throw you at the humans! Maybe if we did that, the shipgirls might get injured, and we might have a better chance at beating them!" At the last sentence, a hint of sadism entered her voice.

"Wait wait wait wait!" Holy shit, is she going to throw me off now? "I- no, I mean, I know of a few tricks! Is just, is just that humans need time to think of tricks, and I need time too! Just give me a few hours -"

"Ahh, too boring. Might as well get rid of you now, I have no time for this -"

Wo cut in. "He's my guest. And you don't get to 'throw him off' -"

"Why not? If they hear screaming from here, wouldn't the shipgirls run back? Gya hahaha!"

As the two rebegan their argument, both Secretaries grabbed hold of my arms, and pulled me out of the room.

Reaching the first floor of the tower, we stood near one the pillars that held up the place. "What the hell..." I began.

"That's why we dislike her." The Ri with the ponytail replied. Her sister nodded in agreement.

"Then why is she a commander? I mean, she's crazy and all, so why is she in charge of anything..." I wondered, walking around the pillar, feeling its rough surface.

"Because she's powerful." The long-haired Ri said. "Demons, or Princesses, can use magic far better than most of us. For most of us, its easier bonding near a commander who can do that than anything else. It helps a fleet to form, knowing we have a powerful champion protecting us, from other fleets or humans. For Beacon-Of-Pride-And-Power, she can use her voice to make those that fight with her more powerful, stronger, not to mention her other powers."

I swallowed. "How about Wo?"

"Commander? Giant-Phoenix-That-Watches? We...are different. Those that remain here...its because we have lived together for so long, and that she is...smart...we all respect her. Well, its those that remain..." She grimaced. "When the battle was lost, a lot of sisters ran away, looking for new homes, fleets. I don't blame them...after all, they want to live..."

I just then realised, that she must be feeling heartache at the fact that a lot of her friends, family died or disappeared. The pain of loss..."Then both of you stay..."

"To protect, and help Phoenix." She pulled a spear out of nowhere, and slammed its butt on the ground. "We are family. Family lives - and dies - together." She finished with determination ringing in her words. I felt a surge of admiration for her.

"That's wonderful. So...um...what is your name?"

"Oh! Um, I'm Juri..and she's Yuri." The ponytailed Ri spoke up.

"So, um, both of you, what are we doing now?"

Juri perked up, as if she had just remembered something, and grabbed my hand. "That's right, the commander needs you to meet someone..." 


	6. Chapter 1-06 - The Abyssal Scientist

"Who's this person you're talking about?" I queried as we set off. At the same time, I tried to ignore the loud crunch that came from the tower we recently vacated.

"Hmmmm..." Yuri brought a hand up to her chin, pondering. "What do you call...those who experiment with things? Weapons?"

"Errr..." I knew the answer, but gave myself a moment to gather the names. "Humans call them...scientists. Engineers. Researchers. So, you are bringing me to see your research and development section, right?"

"If...you call them that..." Yuri's frown turned into a smile. "I think so. What a interesting choice of words."

That's curious. "You are, what, interested in words?"

Her smile grows, toning down the creepiness of her appearence. "Yes. I think...they are important...although..." Her smile dims. "I'm not sure why. I just...find them nice? Pleasant, is that a better word?"

"Hehe, sister is always like this. She enjoys weird things all the time, especially when we aren't in battle." Juri enters the conversation with a mischievious face, which Yuri answers with exsperated one.

"Uh...um, yeah." I grow nervous. Reminding myself that I'm not very skilled in talking nuanced sentences, I switch back to a more important topic. "So...who is this scientist we are going to meet?"

"She's a battleship, and just came a few weeks ago." Its Juri who answers my question. "Her name is Siren-Of-Knowledge."

Sirens? Perhaps like those mythological creatures? "Anything else about her?"

"Hmmmmmm... A lot of people are scared of her? I think, but since we are not, I don't really see why..."

Eh?

"Why?" I ask.

"Well, we aren't scared of her because she made these for us." One of them point to theur weapons. "And she did teach us some magic -"

"Wait, I mean, why are people scared of her -"

The entire platform shook, as I heard the sound of an earth-shattering explosion. Screaming in shock, I quickly covered myself with an arm, ducking at the same time. Looking up, I heard a yell, a scream and watched as a figure flew through the sky. As I watched, the figure fell gracefully, dissappearing beneath the edge of the platform, followed by a loud splash.

As I stood back up, speechless, I heard one's strange, disturbing laughter echo across the base. Looking wildly, I came across a large hole on the side of a building, black streaks and cracks all around it. Several pieces of construction material were either dangling dangerously from several areas, or otherwise crumbling, tumbling onto the platform. Squinting, I saw an Abyssal walk towards the hole, arms outstretched.

"And that, is why almost everyone is scared of her." Looking to my left, I spotted the two sisters making gestures; Juri had her face in her hand, while Yuri was shaking her head slowly, with another exsperated smile on it. "And she is going to get it..."

Out of nowhere, I felt a chill rise up my back.

Continuing our journey, we had reached the building with the freshly made orifice on its side, climbed a set of stairs, and were now in front of a well-secured door.

An utterly well secured door - from top to bottom, left to right, all of its sides had a large array of locks, bolts, fasteners and all sorts of other things to keep it from being opened. Adding on was a strange sign on the door that screamed in numerous languages 'DO NOT OPEN'.

Someone really didn't want its occupant to get out, huh?

"Sister."

"Yes?"

"You keep forgetting. This is the wrong entrance." Juri's sharp, inhuman voice and the words they carrie dragged me out of my thoughts.

Moments later, my jaw nearly hit the floor she walked down the hallway, grabbed a section of wall, and pulled. A section of said wall neatly slid out, revealing a ragged hole for an entrance.

I was at a loss of words. "Seriously? Seriously?"

Both sisters simply shrugged, and I followed them inside.

Where I saw another thing to add to my list of 'crazy things that I saw today'.

Across me, a form that I vaguely realised was a Re-Class - a short haired girl dressed in a hoodie and with a monstrous tail - being hung from the ceiling, with several 'arms', made of the strange black metal that was representative of Abyssals, that sprouted from the ceiling, walls and floor, currently poking or twisting her limbs and body. The poor Abyssal was currently squirming in her position, trying to get free, while those strange arms went with their work.

"Yipe yipe ow ow stop sorry sorry sorry SORRY!" The childlike, screeching voice of the captive echoed through the room. I tried making a move, only to be stopped by those strange arms -

Which sprouted an eyeball.

"YAAAAA!"

I jumped back a few steps, and slipped -

THUD.

Ow...that hurt. Rubbing my head, I watched in horror as the eyeball and the arm edged closer. While I held my ground, the...thing, began to survey me, checking me out from all angles.

Suddenly, I heard a sniff. "So...you are Magician, and you are looking for Siren-Of-Knowledge, am I right?"

The strange new voice seemed to come from nowhere, as if it was right next to me...and far away at the same time. As I looked around once more, I heard a snort.

"No, you won't find me here. But where are my manners? I'm Rally-Of-The-Needed, and its a pleasure to meet you." The tone of the voice was soft, and singsong, and as if on cue, a vein of black metal sprouted from the ground. As I watched it, it bent and flowed like some suspended liquid, slowly changing, morphing. It settled with the appearence of a facsmile of an actual human arm, and extended its hand towards me.

Swallowing hard, I tried to guess who she - at least, that was what I thought her gender was, given that I had yet to see any humanoid form - was. "Its nice to meet you too...and if I'm not wrong...you are this entire installation, right?"

Admiration in her voice, the voice purred. "For a former human, not bad. Especially since all that talking you had with the commander." Wait, what? She heard everything? She continued. "Maybe you are actually useful, like what the commander said? Hmmm..." The eyeball narrowed, and as I stood up, it turned around, facing the Abyssal currently being tied up.

Ignoring the several pleas of freedom from the captive, the voice continued. "I believe you are looking for Siren-Of-Knowledge?" Barely concealed distaste ringed her words as she spoke the name.

"That's right, madam." Juri spoke up, her voice serious.

"Hmmph.." Together, the black arms and straps imprisoning the Abyssals released and disappeared back into the structure, causing the captive to collapse in an untidy heap on the floor, groaning and moaning all the way. "Well, there she is. And remind her never to do that again."

"Understood." Both Secretaries choired as one.

"Well, be seeing all of you." The eyeball and its holding arm also disappeared into the ground, leaving no trace behind,

Our attention returned back to the Abyssal on the floor, who was busy pushing herself of it. As its face came into view, I observed it. Purple eyes with a strange flicker within them, skin white as bone, black hair with speckles in them, and a mouth that was slowly forming into a mischievious grin. Behind her, the massive tail simply wagged pitifully from side to side, scrapeing the floor.

"Um...you are Siren-Of-Knowledge, right?" Please tell me this wasn't the resident hyperactive mad scientist -

"Yep! Who told you; was it the massive explosion? Because, if Commander is right, I can already feeeeeeeellll all the great things we will create together!"

...nevermind.

More insane giggling persisted. "You know, I can't believe it! I just barely copied the rituals humans use to create shipgirls, and it worked! If you are the first to pop out, that who knows who else may come!" She started dancing around, with a madman's expression on her face-

Wait, what?

She was the one who summoned me here?

Ohhhh youuuuuu...  
Irritation filled my body.

"You mean that you just jury-rigged up several things - including a broken altar - together, cast a mismatch of spells which were slightly similar to the magic signature emitted during a shipgirl's summoning or bonding ritual, and somehow managed to break past several dimensional barriers and bring my essense into the form of an Abyssal?" I stared at Siren with disbelief.

She took a sip from a cup she held in her hands, and with a nod of the head, she said, "More or less? Even I don't really understand how the whole process worked..."

With a sardonic tone in my voice, I went, "Yeah, isn't that because you knocked yourself out near the end?" I huffed, leaning back against the chair I was on, gazing throughout the room. After her embarrassing introsuction, Siren had asked for mine and the Secretaries' help to clean up the mess inside her 'laboratary', which was most likely caused by the explosion that had occured earlier on. Now, it looked like one of the labs that my old school had; shelves full of the thickest 'books' I ever seen (I still had to ask the Abyssals on how they created paper), cabinets with all sorts of interesting material, a series of experiment benchs, a couple of boards nailed to the wall, and some sort of 'testing area' at the other end, with blackened walls and the same massive hole I saw downstairs, just that it slowly being 'repaired' by the metal growing inwards.

"Anyways...what were you doing earlier on? You must have been responsible for the blast, am I right?" I began, curious. Perhaps she was testing out some new weapons?

"Eh, I was trying these out." Siren put her cup to one side and walked over to one of the cabinets. Opening it, she took out a battered box that was coloured metallic sliver, its design somewhat similar to an ammunition box. Placing it on the floor, her hands then proceeded to undo its two clasps, allowing her to remove the lid. Peering down, I saw a few fist sized objects, coloured black and dull grey. Picking two out of the box, she gripped one in each hand.

"Those were a shipment I asked for a while ago, and they came along with Beacon's fleet. Its a recent creation, and apparently they were based off a human invention! Can you guess what they are?" She grinned, and the grey areas of the objects glowed a dangerous red.

"Whoa! Are those grenades?" Quickly associating them with the massive explosion earlier, I cautiously leaned backwards.

"Hehe, correct! Not only that, they can bounce on water, and stick to others too! I am hoping those might be effective against the coming human fleet, so I did some testing earlier on, and so far, it lives up to expectations!" The grenades returned to their non-glowing states, and she dropped them back into the box.

"You didn't have to actually try it on your comrade," I muttered, worrying for the poor Abyssal who got blasted across the entire sky.

"I wasn't testing it on her, she was behind what was supposed to be the test armored wall. But then again, it is my fault for ignoring her and just throwing at the wall, isn't it?" She put on a thinker's pose, with a worried frown on her face. "Should I apologise?"

"Maybe after our discussion?"

"Oh yeah, about that! Hey, you drew that 'missile' that Commander was talking about, right?" Her face was one of a excited child again.

"Yes?"

"Ok! Could you help me with something?" She grabbed my arm. "Hey wait-" I was pulled in front of another board. On it was a another diagram, similar to the missile diagram I had drawn and shown to Wo yesterday. Beside it were a set of queries and scribbling, and a whole set of smaller diagrams.

"Those grenades, I have been thinking of something else to do with them, for quite a while. I've been thinking of how the humans can use those 'missiles' that you talked about yesterday to hit us from so far distances. So, I want to replicate that! So I was thinking, maybe we could use three of those grenades, put them together, and then launch them at humans and their ships. But here's the problem - I can't make it move fast enough, or even fly!" She started chewing on her bottom lip.

"Ok...so your problem is that you don't have a strong enough propulsion system," I spoke out loud, while thinking to myself. "But first, why missiles? Wouldn't torpedoes be enough?"

"Nowadays its so easy to avoid a torpedo. You just jump, and it shoots underneath you. Or you twist to the side. Or dodge."

...Ok. I can see it happening though. Torpedoes wouldn't work well if your ships were humanoid girls after all...

"Therefore, I chose to try out making missiles. They should move faster than torpedoes, and even if they miss, I can detonate them remotely in the middle of their formation." Pointing out those advantages, she waited for my response.

Hmmm, what did missiles use as propulsion?

I began, "For your problem...well, human missiles use two types of propulsion. One is by using jet engines, the other is rocket engines. I don't know about the latter...but I can tell you about the former."

"Jet engines," I said, picking up a pen, "they work like this - they take in air, burn kerosene within the engine and cause the superheated air to be shot out backwards, thus pushing it forward." Meanwhile, I drew another diagram illustrating my point.

"At least, thats how it works...I don't know how it is built, but it works on that theory. I think...maybe your fellow ither scientists also have a clue on how it operates?" I scratched the back of my head in nervousness. If Abyssals still retained some level of knowledge, perhaps they might know how to construct a jet engine...

"Hmm...jet engines you say? Ah, I heard of them, but I will have to ask my friends..." Yesssss.

"...if you are right though, I could remake it using magic!" Ehhhh?

"Hey, wait, that's not a proper way to approach this-" I attempted to debunk that thought-

"Why not, a lot of my sisters have tried remaking certain things with magic, why not a simple engine?" She had a puzzled look on her face as she face me.

I really had no answer to that. After all, I just saw magitech the previous day, no reason why the Abyssals couldn't repeat that idea...

I heard a cough from behind. Swirveling around, I saw Juri looking at the both the us, saying, "Aren't you and her supposed to be talking about that decoy thing?"

Oh. Oh yeah. I had gotten all my priorities skewed. Is enthusiasm that infectious? "Dammit...Ok, back on topic." I turned back to Siren. "Sorry, but right now, I don't really need missiles. Or anything offensive on that matter." I however, did mentally remind myself that I would have to encourage Siren to continue this path of research. Liberal use of large explosives could help counter the 'wolfpack strategy' that the shipgirls had used so efficiently and deadly against the Abyssal fleet. Particularly even more useful if thet could be launched from long ranges.

"Hmm?" Siren's questioning brought me back to reality.

"Has W- I mean, your commander, explained to you about the 'decoy's' I suggested?"

"She did tell me, but she didn't give any explanation. Maybe you were supposed to do it."

"Sure..." Heading over to another board, I started sketching yet another diagram with the pen in my hand. "Right now, the humans have missiles that can track any Abyssal. Right now, my guess is that it is used to track the kind of magic that you all give off, and targeting based on which one of you releases the most magic."

"So, what I originally came here was to ask you to create a countermeasure - a large object, launched from a specific launcher, which would fly into the air, stay there and release huge amounts of magic, thus attracting all the missiles towards it. That's...it." I finished the diagram with a flourish, and waited for her answer.

She looked at me with her hand scratching her neck, squinting, her eyes. "It...could work." She then headed back to the seating area, reopening the metal box being watched over by Yuri, and stood up with another grenade in her hand. "Hmm." She returned to the board, and adding on to my diagram with another pen, she said, "This...already releases a lot of magic. If I followed your idea, I could alter it so that it releases more magic instead of a larger explosion..."

That wasn't what I meant. "No, I mean, having something float in the air, attracting-"

"Its expensive." Siren replied flatly. "It works, yeah, but to create such a large...thing, and have it float in the sky? Which would get destroyed? Sorry, but we don't really have that much resources at our disposal..."

That's true...even Abyssals, like humans, do have resource demands.

"Also..." Siren paused for a while, than faced me again with those piercing purple eyes. "You should know what 'Window' is, right?"

"Um..what window are you talking about?" I found myself a little confused on what she was talking about.

"Huh? You heard of missiles, how ships work, but you don't know what's radar?" She looked at me with a confused eye.

Oh...oooohhh. That Window. Or rather, the first ever electronic warfare weapon, used by the British to counter German Radar during World War II..."If I recall correctly, its a whole lot of metal strips dropped by an airplane that would confuse radar, right?"

"Yeah. You get what I'm talking about?" A new, mischievious grin formed on her face.

"So what you're getting at..." I quickly began filling up the limited space in the board with more diagrams. "Is that we can create grenades, that would shoot metallic strips that are filled with-"

"-lots of magic." She finished the sentence for me. "Or we could just get some of our carriers to drop those for us. Either way, it works, right?"

Excitement filled up my chest. "Yes, it does. It definitely does."

"Heh heh heh." Siren was now giggling. "Oh its fun to work with a human~"

"Hey, aren't humans your enemies..." I commented as I watched her short frame shake with delight and glee.

Her voice suddenly turned both melancholic and wistful."I can't help it, almost everyone else here bores me. They are so obsessed with war, and fighting, or on how they win or lose battles...I really wish I was home, where I could be talking with the rest who loves what I love...also, even as the humans are our enemies, I cannot help but admire what they do...they create wonders, they build great things, they can make people fly, and most of all, we were born from the leftovers of humans! How is it possible, to not look upon what they create, in awe and in envy?"

"Ok, ok, stop it, it feels weird to have you fanboying about us..." I said in embarrassment. Perhaps I shouldn't tell her that she was the product of several perverted human minds...

"Fine...then, do you have anything else to say, or do you want to join me as I create those things?" She asked with a pleasant smile on her face.

"I don't think I got anything else to say at the moment, and I'm not very good at this experimenting thing...hang on, what is she doing?" My voice trailed off as I saw what Yuri was doing at the 'testing area'. Holding up her spear, she was gripping it tightly, pointing it at the 'test wall' at the other side.

She put herself in an runner's position, and kept the spear aloft. Out of nowhere, a strange yellow glow surrounded her, and I felt the air vibrating, a strange humming coming from her position. On her face was the most determined look I had seen in ages.

She pushed herself off, and swept foward as fast at the wind, barrelling forth like a force of nature.

With a loud crack, I saw the spear pierce the wall; split seconds later the wall literally exploded under the enormous pressure exerted on it by the very tip of the spear. Pieces of material flew everywhere, some nearly hitting Yuri herself.

Except that almost as soon as he penetrated the thick metal, her feet hit the ground and she propelled herself backwards, landing with grace that any dancer could ever hope to achieve.

As the whole scene played out in front of me, my mouth moved on its own.

"Siren?"

"Hmm?"

"Could...um, could you tell me more about magic instead?"

Back on the couch. I watched as Siren took a sip from the cup that she was holding in her hands, her ginormous tail shooting upwards, ramrod straight, with the turret on the top swirveling from side to side.

While she enjoyed her drink, I looked down at my own cup. Inside it was not water, but instead was a black liquid. I took a sniff, and surprisingly, it had a pleasent aroma. Despite that and a rather parched throat from all that talking, I hesitated to touch it. It could be goddamned oil after all.

Hearing Siren go 'ahhh' with pleasure, I looked up. She set the cup to one side, and as I followed suit, she began to speak.

"Actually, Magician, we...don't really know much about magic." Both tail and face droops in disappointment, along with mine.

Then again, where the hell do you begin to try to figure magic out? Especially when you don't have a lot of research time to begin with...

Siren continued. "But we do know some of the things we can do with it. And some of the basics, of course." Well then, let's begin! My head perks up in anticipation.

"One, that shipgirls and us both use magic, but that our magic is vastly 'different', or they give out completely different signatures when they are used -"

"Hang on a sec, how do you 'differentiate' the two?"

"Its..complicated. We can just tell them apart."

Eh?

I must have had a confused expression on my face, because she purused her lips and attempted to explain the reasoning to me. "Um...you see, shipgirls and us...we ourselves 'emit' pulses of energy. When these pulses of energy touch us, we can tell whether its from one of us or a shipgirl, because...of 'certain' differences in each signature. Those who train themselves well enough can tell who is it. Or what magic they are using."

I squinted at her. "And because of that, you figured out how to summon 'me'."

"Yes."

I thought of this for a moment. "You can't have figured this all by yourself, right?" The amount of reseaech and compiling it must have taken to realise this...

"True. I got it from my 'Circle'."

A frown worked into my face when I noticed the emphasis on the last word. "What's a 'Circle'?"

"A 'Circle' is where sisters work together to achieve a common goal. It's similar to what humans call 'organisations' or 'teams'. Sometimes they last for a short while, sometimes they stay together to be very important. For me," she put a hand over her chest, "I come from one Circle known as the 'Gatherers Of Knowledge', which is one of the most important Circles out there." She finished the last sentence with nothing less then a smug look on her face.

'One of the most important Circles'? What, the Abyssals managed to get up a working nation or political system?

Aggggh, get back on topic dammit. "So, you tried the summonong ritual because..."

"The base was almost under attack, and while Beacon would be engaging the humans, I thought I would dig up some of my sisters' research and try something, just in case. I was planning to summon more ever since you popped up...but I didn't because of a few reasons."

A smirk formed on my mouth. "Because you blew yourself up?"

"Because after you popped up, you haven't displayed any rigging at all...and also, there's the fact you are a, uh, 'boy', or something based off a human male, and yes, that explosion." Siren clarified, ignoring the jibe.

Oh yeah, what kind of combat ability did I have, exactly? If I had no rigging...I really didn't want to think about that-

A series on noises crossed my ears. Turning around to their source, I saw that in the 'testing area', both of the Secretaries had their weapons, and were beginning a spar with each other. As we watched, flashes of light appeared all around them as they clashed, indicating the heavy use of magic by both combatants. Accompaning were their shouts and grunts as they parried, thrusted, dodged and attacked each other.

"Huh? You let them spar in your laboratory?" I queried, curious.

Siren shrugged, but had a keen smile on her face. "Wellllllllllll...you see, once I let them spar, and then they started using new magic and tricks I had never seen before, so I let them spar so I can probably come across other magic by watching them. Nothing better than being in the midst of battle when it comes to getting new ideas!"

I stored that info away. "Ok...Back to topic. What kinds of magic you Abyssals are able to master?"

"As far as I know? There's Boost, Mind, Weather...and the Underlying..."

"Please go through each of them." I began to focus on her words.

"'Boost' is simply boosting any of our abilities - our speed, our strength, any of that. Its easy to use, and when you see it, its like seeing a sheath of light on the part you are boosting. You were watching Yuri, right? Yep, she was heavily Boosting herself."

Ok...

Siren continued. "Sometimes, you can even use it on others. Commander for one, she uses it on her aircraft, and Beacon herself, thats her power. When she sings, every Abyssal in a certain area gets Boosted."

"I guess I will have to ask her more on that."

"Thing is...even if we can boost ourselves, we still have trouble against the shipgirls. As much as it is useful to have the strength of giants, the shipgirls have been always attacking us from far away, avoiding our attacks, making sure that we cannot touch them. My sisters have been searching for ways to Boost our shells, our weapons, but so far...only a few can, the more powerful sisters, but most of them aren't in our Circle, and whatever they know, they refuse to share." She shook her head in disappointment.

Huh, faction rivalries?

"What we can 'Boost', however, are some of the things we create." Siren picked up one of the grenades inside the box next to her before continuing. "Some sisters say that it is because we understand how the items work, thus we can Boost their effects."

"Maybe I could try that out?" I replied. "I know how those shells or torpedoes that you Abyssals use work. If that theory of yours works, then by right I can 'Boost' the power of them."

"Hmmm...hey, why don't we try it-" Siren eyes lit up like the an excited puppy-

"Uhhhh, no, lets just finish this conversation on magic first, ok?" Guess Siren is also attracted to shinies...

"Finnnnnnnnnnne." She directed her hurt feelings into an exaggerated pout. "Next, Mind." Siren closed her eyes, and suddenly her voice was speaking within my mind.

"Here. This is 'Mind'."

I nearly jumped back in fright. "Oh...telepathy, isn't it?"

"Hehe, yeah." I frowned as I watched her try to stifle her giggling. "That is the simplest, easiest form of Mind. It basically means anything having to do with that. Normally, we just use it for talking among ourselves from afar, but sometimes, we can use it to attack shipgirls."

"For example, we can make them feel fearful, scared, or helpless. Other times, wegive them nightmares/hallucinations. Or we simply damage them, hurt them with our minds alone." She put on her most creepy tone as she described each power with a loving tone. "Though, I did hear of a Demon who could just take control, command up to ten shipgirls, and used them on her enemies."

I couldn't help but be reminded of XCom psionics. A slight shiver went down my spine as I remember of the hell one went through when a soldier got mind-controlled by their enemy...

"Moving on..." Siren again cut through my thoughts, "Weather."

"Let me guess." I placed my chin on my clenched fist. "The fog."

"Not just that!" Siren chirruped happily. "Rain, wind, snow, ice - even thunder and lightning, we can all control! The previous commander, she was really good with Weather. Sadly, she still fell in battle, but she managed to teach some on how to use it."

"That would be really useful. We can also use the fog to confuse the incoming enemies, or we can make it rain, so that their advance would be slower. Or just smiting them with lightning- wait a minute, have you been successful with that?"

"Hmm? Hitting them with lightning? Well...we have not tried that...because we would just hit ourselves, wouldn't we?"

Oh yeah. The ocean is one big swimming pool, the Abyssals would also get hit in the process...and the shipgirls coul probably shrug it off anyway. Doh. Remember your basic science, Magician!

"Oh, oh yeah, huh." I put my hand my head, dipping downwards in embarrassment. "So...how abour the 'Underlying'?"

"Harrumph. Simply put, 'Underlying' simply means the ambient magic that flows within us, or anything else not covered under Boost, Mind or Weather."

"Oh?"

"Yes. Any magic that we don't know where to put, it goes under that category. So far, we have been thinking of making a new category...but everything currently under that is just too different from each other. For example...like something that Juri and Yuri came up with recently."

Both of us took a glance at the two sisters, who were now in some sort of stalemate after an extended bout. Despite heaving heavily, they charged at each other, weapons flashing as performed a dance of death right before my eyes.

After a series of quick yet fierce parres, Yuri broke Juri's defense with a savage blow to her side with the blunt end of her spear, and as the other fell back clutching her side, Yuri swung her spear, aiming for her opponents centre, the blade glowing a brilliant yellow-

-only for the target to vanish, the magically charged blade slashing through thin air. Another moment, and Juri was right above her sister, spinning to get the blade on target, which glowed azure as crackling energy surged through it.

Yet, Yuri calmly responded by swinging her spear above her, carefully aiming to deflect Juri's attack. As blade met spear, sparks appeared as they glanced off each other, the massive forces involved not even bothering both combatant and weapon-

And Yuri herself disappeared, appearing a few steps away. Unable to compensate, Juri herself lost her balance, simply tumbling onto the floor. Before she even hit it however, Yuri stepped foward, and with a loud 'crunch', slammed her foot with impunity into her opponent's waist. As a result, Juri flew at a painful speed, colliding with one of the benchs, causing the equipment on it to rock dangerously and denting the side of the bench. As one sister lay on the floor and groaned, the other picked her sword up, and with a playful yet dangerous smile on her face, she lowered the blade over her opponents throat's, her intent clear.

Siren stood up, clapping, while my mind tried to process the few maneuvers they had performed just now. Was that...teleportation?

Oh god that's just bullshit.

"Saw that?" Siren had the smug look to beat all smug looks, even as she helped a wincing Juri to her feet.

"What the hell..." I cursed as I sat in the couch. "Really? Really?"

"Well, that's just magic for you. This is just one form of 'Underlying'...as far as I know, no one else has shown this magic at all. Yet." Goddamn that smug look.

"Okay..."

"So then." Siren returned to the couch opposite of me. "Any more questions, Magician?"

"Hmm..." Anything else worth mentioning now? "Alright, do you have a list of everyone on this base that is capable of using some form of magic?"

"No." She was dead serious this time.

"Fine, is it possible that you can compile a list?"

"I can't. I have a lot of work to do, and also, I don't think the majority of the base likes me, do they?"

True.

"Hmm, I guess I will just leave you here. Well, so, thanks-" I held my hand out, "- for taking the time to speak with us."

She grasped the proffered hand. "Its ok. I said, its great to meet someone like you too." Her tail waved in the air, as if indicating her happiness-

"Magician, Juri, Yuri, please head up to my office now."

I jumped like a cat when the commander - Phoenix - spoke in my mind. "What for?"

"I managed to get Beacon to agree to talking to you a second time. She insists that we have this conversation right now and not later."

"Ok, understood." My heart fluttered at the thought of meeting the battle-crazy Abyssal again - I definitely did not want to get thrown off the base just because I slipped a little.

"One last thing." I turned to Siren. "How do you handle a battle maniac?"

"Beacon?"

"That's the one."

"Hmmm...how should I put it...she isn't that bad, honestly." I noticed the set of extremely dirty looks she received from both Juri and Yuri.

"Really?"

"Yes, really." She put on the 'warmest' face a creepy childlike eldritch abomination could manage. "I have a friend who used to work with her."

"Annnnd her advice?" I could not help but feel a skeptical.

"Simple. Be straight to the point. Make sure you give er things she wants. Don't talk nonsense. And most importantly, show you got some fight in you, as per her own words, 'I only deal with warriors'." A large enigmatic - or was it trollish? - smile grew on her face. "In other words? Play to her interests, and she will be dancing in her palm."

"That's it?"

"Yes. Oh and one last thing; she's rather impatient. So, bye bye~"

And just like that, the Secretaries and I were shoved out of the pathetic excuse for a doorway.

As it was sealed, I took a very long, sharp breath.

This was going to be a long day.

A/N : That's all for now. 


	7. Chapter 1-07 - The Abyssal Commander

Something short, to end off Chapter 1.  
*looks at word counter* Yeah right.

The Lighr Cruiser Demon, or as she was more well known as, Beacon-of-Pride-And-Power, simply stared at her counterpart, Giant-Phoenix-That-Watches. As for Phoenix, she simply stared back, unwavering.

"Many have already said the same thing as I, Beacon, that you cannot keep such a mindset -" Phoenix reattempted to argue, only to be cut off by a large hoot of mocking from her target.

"Spare me, Phoenix!" Beacon roared, her voice far larger than what her small frame would suggest. "Are we going through that same arguement again? One that has been rehashed, reused, over and over again by our superiors and us?"

Beacon gritted her teeth. The same thing, about how she and those who thought alike looked upon their sisters, and the newly-risen. Those that thought like Phoenix thought that her methods, actions, were wrong.

The fact that a newly born Abyssal would be thrown straight into battle.

The idea that only those that knew battle were worth listening to, or are the only ones worth any prestige.

Beacon gritted her teeth. For countless times, the same arguement was raised again and again, by the same people. And she never backed down.

After all, what were they other than the reborn souls of warships? War was part of them, and was a undeniable fact. To hold them back just because they were new? Utter nonsense. None gained experience better than being shoved into battle straight, and holding them back would simply delay their growth.

Listen to a whelp? And a unbloodied one at that? Rubbish. He had no experience, and all he did was just talk. Worse still, he was already off to consort with a Gatherer. One of those crazy maniacs, who simply bidded their time getting in one's way, acting important and sprouting garbage, and end up with nothing at the end.

Beacon snorted in derision, and shifted back in her seat. Whatever she said, Phoenix would not be able to convince in any way. She should just stop messing around with the Gatherer, and actually try commanding. Stupid Leviathan-That-Cries had coddled her too much-

"I am not going to lecture you on how you treat the new-ones you find, there is already no point in trying to repeat my superior's words. What I am trying to get you to do, is listen to Magician just once-"

"Spare. Me." Beacon growled, her voice reaching dangerously low pitches as she leaned forward threateningly. "Why should I listen to a unbloodied whelp, who is already with that-"

Phoenix cut her off. "He is no whelp."

"No whelp? Then what is this that I hear of him, being 'born' just yesterday? If so, I fail to see how he is anyway not a whelp."

Phoenix sighed. "He is different. According to the Gatherer you so despise-" Phoenix stayed on, undeterred by the second hoot from Beacon. "he is a human spirit that is 16 years of age, accidently brought here by a ritual the same Gatherer attempted."

"The 'temple' exploded when the ritual was finished, right?" Beacon cackled. "All the more to despise them. If they are already blowing up our own bases, then we can chuck them straight into the seas. Or we could just throw the at the humans-"

"The point is," Phoenix cut in firmly. She showed no sign of being affected by Beacon's comments, except for a expression that was struggling to stay set in stone. "He is not a new-one, and for that he is 16 years old. Which means, that he is older, and therefore, wiser than you."

Beacon scowled at that remark. "Did...did you just pull that?" She struggled for a few remarks to strike back verbally with a painful personal attack, before relenting with a far sharper counter argument. "Even if you say so, how many battles has he been in, eh?"

Phoenix looked downwards, as if in disappointment. "...none."

A gleeful shout of triumph and disbelief shook the tower, and Beacon shook in her seat, making no move to control herself. "None?! None?!" After rolling about a few times while cackling in glee, she continued mocking Phoenix. "Haha, to think you had the audacity to tell me that...a grown one, yet not with any battle experience!"

To her credit, Phoenix simply gritted her teeth and soldiered on. "Unlike you however, who places so much pride in your own 'experience', he has shown knowledge, and an different, actual method to fighting the humans. You came for that after all, didn't you?"

"So? He hasn't shown me anything."

"He has. Were you paying attention? Now we know the things the humans can do, and we can counter each of them, and has gone to the Gatherer to complete his objective. You accuse the Gatherers of uselessness, but you cannot deny some of the things they have done for us."

"If all he has is a few pieces of information and tolerance for Gatherers, again I don't see why I have any reason to listen to him. Besides, why do you place so much faith in a singular being? Surely you understand how dangerous this is? Basing all of your tactics on him..." Beacon's thoughtful face turned into a smirk. "Don't tell me...are you clinging to him for support, seeing now that you are a commander and Leviathan is dead?"

Beacon grinned at Phoenix visble wince, but she managed to rally herself and return fire. "No. Simply put, Magician has earned my trust, and he is willing to...help me, help the fleet more. Not to mention that his acts...seem genuine."

"'Seem'."

"If you do reject what I say, Beacon, than I'm afraid we have nothing to say to each other, and I fear that you will have wasted yours and your fleet's time here." Phoenix gave her the most determined of challenging stares.

Inside her heart, Beacon whistled. Phoenix had definitely not been that aggressive before, she thought. Perhaps Leviathan's death really did shake her up? To think she often was the one this fleet used to coddle...

"You would reject my help?" Beacon rounded back on her.

"'Help'? If you wouldn't work with me, than we would just clash, letting ourselves be easier prey for the humans. United we stand, or divided we fall."

Really, she has changed.

Beacon slowly gave the matter a second thought. For one, this went against something she believed very dearly in. Listening to someone who was inexperienced? That alone, was enough to make her simply disembark and leave with her fleet, and leave Phoenix to fate.

Besides, how would other commanders feel about this? Definitely they would take the time to pick her apart, call her hypocrite and all sorts of things, try to tear her down. Beacon gritted her teeth. As much as her world was about the strong above the weak, yet the strong would do whatever, no matter how disgusting, to bring each other down.

By talking to this 'Magician', she would be risking her entire life, her power.

But truth is, she was interested. While she still did not think he was sone worth hearing, but seeing Phoenix, in the face of overwhelming odds, get so confident in her ability to win with his presence? How odd...

How interesting.

Curiosity grabbed hold, and clasped her in a crushing grip, and as she went through each argument she had, they broke under the pressure of that curiosity.

Whatever it was, she had to know.

"Fine. I will relent. Let me see him." She sighed. "However, if he does not live up to my expectations..."

"You still have no right to do anything to him; he is after all under my command."

Beacon voiced her displeasure with a small 'tch'.

After several minutes, there was a knock on the door. With Phoenix's approval, it swung open, revealing the male new-born.

As he entered, Beacon took the chance to observe him. Longcoat, hat, shirt and legwear, they looked rather immaticulate. Moving up, she watched him as he stepped forward with a stoic face, its features looking like they had been set in stone.

However, as her gaze travelled upwards, Beacon smirked inwardly as his eyes betrayed his true feelings. Those sky-azure pupils darted around, their eyeballs swirveling sharply in their sockets. Indeed, he was nervous about this meeting.

Wimp, Beacon thought, even as she began her second meeting with this new-born. "Well, Magician, it seems that your commander has spoken up for you, and I'm willing to let you convince me another time of your usefulness to us, to me."

A simple, gracious nod was what she got in return.

"Hmph. First off, I would want you to tell me, what exactly can you do for us?"

Magician replied, "To start off, I have knowledge of human weaponry and defenses, and about their capabilities. This itself is useful intelligence for all of you, as it allows all of you to be able to make battle with them easily. Secondly, I have knowledge of human science and technology, which I can possibly replicate with help of others like Siren-Of-Knowledge, which will improve your own capabilities. Lastly, I have knowledge of human tactics, strategy and planning, which will aid all of you greatly on the battlefield."

Beacon simply nodded. "Fine. So that's why you would consort with the Gatherers?"

"True. I think that science - and magic - will greatly benefit your fleets, but only if we bother to learn how to harness them. As far as I know, Siren's colleagues would help a lot, given that they seem to be the experts in this matter."

"A fair answer." Beacon leaned back, as she went through his answers. "I guess...whether or not your abilities are useful I will find out soon enough, but before I can truely begin..." She again pushed herself upright.

"What is your reason for joining with us?" She uttered her last question with a voice devoid of any feeling.

She looked up again, and noticed that her target had clearly lost his composure. He had his head tilted to the side, the nervousness in his eyes already increasing. Unrelenting, she moved in, attacking.

"According to Phoenix here, you said that you were a human of 16 years...which means that you are the enemy." Her voice emphasised the last point, growing sharp. "By some strange coincidence, you have ended up here, with a body that we have. That does not the change the fact that you have the mindset of a human...right?"

Magician was in full panic mode by now. He was scratching his head, his mouth opening and closing as a few unintelligble words flew out. Already the distance between the both of them had widened quite a bit.

"So, again, what's your reason for joining us? And a warning; if I do not like the answer you give...I may very well slay you on this very spot." Her voice, full with killing intent, cut through her target like a hot knife through butter.

And yet, she was noticing how quite Phoenix had been since she dropped that bomb. And enjoying it, even.

Moments passed, as Magician slowly, nervously perpared his response. And delivered it. "Simply put, I am joining because...because of survival."

"Right now...a human fleet is coming here, its aim being...your annihilation. Currently, I am on this place with you, with no place to go, nowhere to hide, no option left. If they win this upcoming battle, I...I will surely perish."

Beacon considered his response. "You do know that Phoenix could simply let you away? I doubt she would be able to prevent you from getting away..."

"If...if I ran, ma'am, where could I go?"

Beacon simply looked at him after that response. And sighed. For the longest time, nothing moved in that room, its atmosphere tense with apprehension.

Meanwhile, inside the Abyssal commander's heart, a strange mixture of pity and revulsion.

Pity, simply for him being stuck in such a shitty, terrible situation.

Revulsion, for exhibiting cowardice far higher than any new-born she knew.

Again and again, she cycled between both emotions.

Finally, she let her thoughts be known. "At least you are trustworthy...somewhat. And perhaps useful...but now, you will show me." She held out her arms in anticipation.

When he did not respond, she said, "Honestly? You can claim to have the knowledge that humans own...but even then, it would be useless without experiencing the battles I won, lost, and experienced."

"So come here, show me the things you promised. And pray that you do not disappoint me."

He grabbed those hands, and with one thought, she pulled him into ther aether of her memories.

======CHAPTER 1 End====== 


	8. Chapter 2-01 - Two Soldiers

========Chapter 2========

On the central information centre of the EACS _Tsukyumori_ , Rear Admiral Zhang Zhiwen bent over as he read the set of intelligence reports that had just arrived.

The appliance that he was bending over was the ship's Central Information Centre's holographic command console. A dull-black rectangular piece of technology that was situated in the middle of the bridge, it was designed for the express purpose of delivering information effectively in real-time as well as hasten the command process of the battlegroup. It displayed a wide range of holograms that hovered right above it, which displayed the full map of their current position, showed important data including the ammunition stockpiles of ships, sensor ranges and data as well as the predicted location of their target, and copies of the reports that bridge staff were reading.

Other than that, the room was empty - needless pieces of paper were no longer needed for a long time thanks to the many advances in technology, and whatever purpose the room had was already inside the command console. Except for the grey-metallic walls though - they posessed several layers of soundproofing, several antibugging devices and magic based sealing, all to maintain the absolute secrecy of whatever was discussed between them.

"Summarising all available intelligence," Zhang's second-in-command spoke in a clearcut female voice. "between the battle on the 23rd of September and today, we have not come into contact with any Abyssal units, whether Greater or Lesser, despite the closer distance between us and one of their major bases."

The same woman took in a deep breath, before giving voice to her thoughts on the matter. "What exactly are they doing? We were already on course for a major asset of their's for awhile already, yet they have not made any response, even a minor one. What's more, we already have penetrated deep into their territory."

A second officer also spoke up. "True. Given the heavy resistance we faced while attacking a minor base earlier, it is suprising that we have faced nothing of the sort while assaulting one that is larger than before."

"I have a theory - maybe we have actually managed to eliminate all hostiles placed at the base?" A third voice was added to the hubbub.

"That's unlikely - they can't have no one manning one of those bases, and besides, quite a substansial amount of them managed to get away in the previous battle, didn't they?"

"Didn't our forces manage to eliminate the Greater Abyssal marshaling the previous force? Given the lack of any command structure among them, its possible that they would have been scattered to the winds?"

"The search reports of the base that was captured showed prepared amenities indicating possible long-term residence by enemy units, didn't they?" A few beeps and sounds were emitted as the second-in-command 'shuffled' through her reports. "Even if they had lost their leader, most likely some would still indicate it as a point of retreat."

"That still doesn't explain the lack of action on their part."

As his subordinates continued to debate the possible outcomes, Zhang took the opportunity to ponder over their comments. One of the youngest of the high-ranking officers in the East Asian Confederation Navy, he looked a little lean, with a face that was indicative of a young man despite actually pushing fourty years of age - although that was just a side effect of the complimentary life-extension programmes the EAC provided for their servicemen.

Pulling quickly from his experience of a decade's worth of service, he asked, "Anything to suggest that they may not know of our presence?"

"The enemy not being unaware of our presence is...very unlikely, sir." More sifting of notes continued as his staff reacted quickly to his question. "We have been in their territory for a very long time, and the ships in our battlegroup were not designed for stealth. In fact," the officer speaking stood up straight in a thinker's pose, "We should be attracting the most attention out of the three battlegroups, given our speed and actions."

"Hmmm." Zhang emoted. "What about the reports from the other two battlegroups?"

"Both 4th and 6th Battlegroups have been finding small to moderate amounts of Abyssal prescence within their search range within their search ranges over the past few days, but whenever scout drones have been launched, they were unable to get visual confirmation on them." As an officer spoke, two groups of holographic ship figures appeared on the map, indicating their positions, north-east and south-east of his position. "Hence, both commanders had ordered their fleets to reduce their speeds out of caution."

"And why was I notified of this?"

"Firstly, Rear Admirals Sun and Mizuki would like to apologise for not taking into account your opinion. Secondly, inter-fleet communication has been spotty and erratic ever since the strange storm flared up. This was the first time in days that we have been able to recieve and transmit any substansial amounts of data. I doubt HQ themselves are even aware of this development.

The admiral recalled the meterological report he had recieved from the bridge. According to it, normally communications would still be stable during storms of this level, but a whole series of factors, such as the massive surge of lightning, fog and other anomalies were most likely responsible for failure of long-range transmissions.

He looked back at the map. Thanks to information attached to the miniature battlegroups with tags, he understood that his current objective was still at least 11 hours away at their current speed. As for the two allied battlegroups, 4th Battlegroup and 6th Battlegroup would take respectively 15 and 17 hours before they got there.

Not nesasarily a good thing. The time gap would make his command vulnerable to Abyssal attack...A thought shot through his mind; perhaps this had been all set up by the defending Abyssal forces? The storm and the strange enemy contacts had appeared approximately about the same time, leading to the current situation - this was too much of a coincidence...

He voiced his feelings to his staff,and eas met with a array of reactions; most reacted with shock, expressing suprise and concern for their superior's thoughts, while others simply shut down that argument.

"Sir, while the plausibility of Abyssals having sentinence is high, I believe that could not have made the jump from that to being able to plan and execute large military manouvers. While the storm may be of Abyssal origin, I don't see how we can easily explain the disappearing Abyssal presences in our search ranges, other than being byproducts of the storm."

"Maybe they had evoled? The fact they have something close to sentinence is proof that they may develop sapience after all."

"Perhaps, sir, but I do remember that the latest research simply indictated sentinence. I honestly doubt that they could have sapience in such a short time."

"True." He conceded defeat to the rather strong argument made by his staff. "Thing is, we are still going to discuss any changes to our plan of action." Sliding his hands along the console, he annonced, "Our original plan of action was to reach the designated meeting points with the 4th and 6th Battlegroups, launch drones for reconnaissence before mounting our assault. However, with the recent revelations, I believe its time we changed our strategy."

"Given our battlegroup's vulnerability for a few hours, we will be establishing extra patrols until both 4th and 6th Battlegroups arrive along with us. In the meantime, I am going to be launching a advance party of shipgirls to 'scout' out the enemy base."

"May I ask why, sir?"

"As far as we know, there is no information on the enemy base and actions. Not to mention that their actions have been completely out of character for the recent days. I would not normally consider such a dangerous move...but sending in main forces could possibly help reveal more about their actions."

He paused, before finishing. "If you do not have any more objections...this meeting is adjourned."

Hinata Tsumiki was worried. Behind a stoic facade she was keeping up as her squad prepped for launch, she was busy trying to evaluate the current 'battle' situation. At least, said battle was not here yet...but would be within hours.

"Why is the Admiral launching a scout force? This doesn't seem right in any sense...shouldn't we hold our ground if we have no intel on the current situation? Even more worrying, why isn't Ziwen saying anything..." she thought. The Admiral tended to clam up whenever he got nervous, or was unsure about situation-

"Hora hora~" In came Xiaoyan's voice like a knife, slashing past her thoughts with its scandalous contents. "Is ma,am thinking of the dear Admiral again-" This time, Hinata's aim was true, and one tight slap sent the still-giggling suborndinate reeling.

"Maybe you would be less annoying if I hit you harder." Gritting her teeth, she fought down her anger as she watched the younger girl regain her balance. Not a moment too soon, as another voice entered the fray.

"Um...ma,am is that true?" Sayaka's soft voice flitered through, and Hinata felt another stab through her heart.

"Why did I even assign Xiaoyan to take care of her?" She wondered, while metaphorically slapping herself. Over the past few days, both of them had spent more time together than the other two members of the squad, in order to get the young Corporal aclimatised with her new bunkmates, and Xiaoyan was chosen simply because she was the 'friendliest'. Now Hinata was sure that Xiaoyan had spent almost all her time 'corrupting' the young girl's mind with the dirtiest rumours and stories about various persons aboard the ship.

No doubt an 'accurate' (read; highly exaggerated with R18 material added) tale of her and the good Admiral had been included.

"I should have let Jae-Hee done this...except that she mostly acts like a dumb robot unless its with me, Xiaoyan...or Faiz..." As she ignored the curious stares from other personnel, she tried running through her thoughts.

Enough was enough though, and she exerted her authority with a disgruntled voice, "Stop it, and that's an order." The squad then returned to their positions in an orderly line facing the closed deployment bulkheads, waiting for the green light to be released, like the 5 other squads in the section.

The command could not come fast enough.

"Deployment groups 1-6, standby for bulkhead opening." A cool female voice rang out across the intercom, and an orange light washed over the combatants. At this signal, the assembled forces moved at once, summoning a certain piece of equipment from individual pocket dimensions into reality.

Each was a visor, with two processing units attached to both sides of it, alongiside a set of straps and other extra parts to keep it secured to the wearer's head, and had a pair of 'smart' earphones and microphone, which allowed communication between members of the battlegroup, and real-time transmission of data, and was durable enough to take a good amount of damage in any battle.

As soon as each of them had it on, blue specks of light appeared on each of their faces as the devices powered-up and ran self-diagnostics, as well as verifying their users.

"Bulkheads opening." The monotone female voice spoke again, and soon enough, a 'clunk' was heard as locks on those bulkheads released, and the whirring of machinery filled the room as the massive doors were pulled upwards, revealing the ramps that led to the ocean below, along with the technicians that were stationed on them, preparing the equipment mounted on it.

As squad leader, Hinata was at the front of her squad, and was the first to step onto the ramp. On the ramp itself were a pair of catapults, one for each leg of hers, designed to launch her quickly and steadily into the ocean, which was slightly turbulent under a grey sky.

With much-practised steps, Hinata step onto the catapults, using the railings on each side of her to steady herself. As the footholds secured her in place, she extended her arms forward and stretched, before reaching to either side of her.

And _pulled._

Using the latent energies stored within her, she mentally siphoned them out, causing them to reach out and touch an alternate dimension that overlayed reality, just a small distance away in the multiverse of worlds.

These energies formed a shape similar to their bearer's target, and shimmering white in Hinata's reality, tore holes in invisible dimensional walls, pulling forth her rigging stored within.

The remarkable fusion of magic and technology was gently transferred across different dimensions, and as it arrivied in Hinata's personal area, they were held aloft by thr same strange energies as the breaches they emerged from were left to close.

With a single thought, the floating, disconnected pieces of Hinata's personal weapon of war began to attach themselves to each other, and their bearer. With the swiftness and accuracy of much practise, wires, components and equipment moved to their designated positions and assembled themselves, their connection to Hinata established by a few pre-installed metallic pieces on her and a series of wireless and wired connections.

Within a few seconds, Hinata Tsumiki was transformed from human officer to goddess of warfare.

And one of Humanity's most advanced goddesses. The Mark IX Rigging, Battleship-Grade. Its main armament was 4 dual-barrel turrets fitted with the most powerful railguns for its size, firing magically-enhanced shells at velocities many times the speed of sound. Its armor was comprised of the latest developments in materials science, carbon nanotube platings combined with highly-durable metal alloys. Equipment was state-of-the-art, and the magitech units were capable of boosting her powers tenfold.

The entire rigging began to hum, radiators opening, components heating up as the processors inside it slowly booted up. Walls of code ran across Hinata's visor as the entire thing as it ran through self-diagnostics, checking its systems. The turrets rotated themselves one, and several panels opened themselves as they verified their own readiness.

When it had finished, the visor wiped itself clean, replacing the walls of incomprihensible code with a battle interface, displaying telemetry and details of Hinata's rigging in real time to her, such as ammunition, damage status, and her location.

As it finished, she gave the technicians on either side of her a thumbs-up, and recieved a nod in return. The technician on her left tapped a tablet attached to his arm, and the railings folded away.

Hinata took a deep breath, and gently gunned her 'engine', the magic within herself that was mimical of a ship's propulsion system. She felt her soles leave their footholds, as she slided slowly into the blue ocean. When she touched it, she slammed on the throttle, accelerating at high velocities.

At a certain distance away from the _Tsukyumori_ , she turned sharply to the left, causing her body to swing to the side thanks to centifugal forces. Beginning one last maintainence check, she and the other squad leaders took a lap around the carrier. As she cut through the waters she saw the faint outlines of the other destroyers in the battlegroup; 4 _Tianfeng-_ Class DDGs, each packed to the teeth with around a hundred missiles, two dual 105mm railgun turrets, a laser point-defense system and a powerful sensor suite, all powered by a groundbreaking nuclear fusion reactor.

Her mind slowly returned to her thoughts before her squadmate's unneeded interruption. "A strike force consisting of 30 shipgirls; my squad, 1 Battleship squadron, alongside with 7 Heavy Cruisers and 13 Destroyers, alongside with some drone and fairy air support. Missile support to be provided by normal warships, but not from missile shipgirls. A scouting force, because due to the unusual situation around the enemy's base - wasn't the original plan simply attack as quickly as possible with all three battlegroups?"

A blip sounded in her right ear. Turns out, the second group had been launched, and the formation that the higher-ups had been was arranging had been settled on. Hinata noted her squad's position - they were at the very front, forming a two-pronged fork while the others at the back formed a single line that spilt into three different strands. Other notes, such as cruising speeds and objectives, were in a seperate window in her visor.

Noting all those down, Hinata completed her lap while moving to form up. Chatter flowed into her ears as she reached into the operation's comm channel. Listening to it as she skillfully glided into her assigned position, Hinata found out that everyone was still in a upbeat mood despite the uncertainty of the mission.

She could guess why. Their previous victory against the large Abyssal force had bolstered their confidence greatly. Despite the strange power of the commanding Greater Abyssal and the extremely unorthodox strategy that all three commanders had come up with - seriously, staging a mediaval style battle on the seas before launching a large mass of missiles to disrupt the enemy before moving in for the kill - it was suprising and reckless, and for a few days the rumor onboard the ship was that all three commanders had a good scolding from First Admiral Goto for that.

At least, that was the rumor. Hinata knew exactly what happened, as the Rear Admiral's close friend and confident.

She pushed those thoughts aside though, and concentrated on the upcoming mission. After all, she was still worried about it, the uncertainty of the situation, and...their enemy. Hopefully that nothing was wrong here, and that the enemy was gone, or hiding. Tales of decades past again filtered into her mind - stories of undefeatable abominations, monsters that tore ships apart by hand, where bullet and bomb had no effect against them. Men killed ruthlessly by unthinking creatures, and whose screams laid waste to civilisations and cities.

If the rumors were true, and this was a trap laid by those monsters...there would be hell to pay.


	9. Chapter 2-02 - First Taste of Command

"Wake up."

Nnnnnnnhh-

"They are here, Magician."

Ow. Stop prodding me-

"The enemies are here." What?

My eyes snapped open as my senses returned. That's right, I have to-

"YEOWWW!" Something jabbed fiercely into my back, causing me to yell in pain. "Hey-" I turned around, and stared at the chair I was sitting in. "Did you have to do that?"

"You were sleeping." The offender spoke, her voice coming out of a shape vaguely resembling a face that was forming in the chair. "Shouldn't a commander always snap to attention when a battle is near?"

I threw a glare at the 'face' that appeared in the chair. "I'm not the commander."

"Then, why are you here? I was under the impression that was the reason that you, and not Commander Phoenix, is currently on the seat you so asked me to create." Before I had a chance to respond, the 'face' simply melted back into the chair.

"So, _human,_ why not go for a swim, if you are so unwilling to lead?" I spun to see Beacon-Of-Pride-And-Power drilling her eyes into my soul, with the same expression she had been sporting for the previous few days - barely any expression except for the mixture of unsettling curiosity...and something else that was in her eyes.

I gritted my teeth, before returning to an erect and straight posture. The owner of that face was no other than Rally-Of-The-Needed, aka. the gestalt of the Abyssal installation, and whose entire form included the very chair my ass was currently sitting on.

Which was I was so nervous around the whole base over the past few days. She clearly didn't like me, one reason being all the 'things' that I had asked (or 'pestered') her to do, some including asking her to allow Siren-Of-Knowledge to conduct several 'dangerous' experiments on her deck, and requesting her to reconfigure some parts of herself. Clearly she was still grumpy over that.

Not to mention that she her view of me was similar to Beacon's, that I had my worth was not that much to guaruntee myself a spot here.

Speaking of which...I stole another peek at Beacon - _holy shit stop staring at_ me, _you sadistic fuck._ Ever since that gut-wrenching talk I had with her on that day, she had not spoken to me personally, ecept in meetings and planning. She never wore that slasher-style expression since that day, and instead just kept observing me with that same look that was now on her face. And everywhere I went, there was always one of her goons stalking me.

And right now, I was the only one with her in this room other than Rally. The commander was on the deck preparing her air support, Siren was busy prepping all the 'new' equipment, and the Secretaries were waiting in position. Not a comforting thought.

Right, this room. I took a deep breath, before beginning to look around it. The place was originally Phoenix's office, but I had asked Rally to redesign it a little. Now, there was a 'screen' on the other end facing me, which was blank - for now. There were a few tables and chairs facing said screen, including the one that I was currently on. They were unoccupied, given that they were meant for people that were currently not around. As for me, I had a few pieces of paper on my table, which detailed the current intel I had - ammo, fuel, force strength, etc. etc.

Outside the windows on the side was a thick fog, the work of those 'weather-mages' that Siren managed to gather from the ranks of the Abyssals. I had asked them to create a thick fog around the place, and tried to make a storm in the area outside, in an effort to slow the enemy down.

All those were fine and dandy, but now...

Out of a sudden my heart suddenly felt like lead.

Of course, I was going to be fucking commanding a force when I was a complete greenhorn at this game called 'war', how could I not be scared? Either I am going to crash and burn horribly, or win...

Yeah, win. That sounds so easy, doesn't it?

Right now, I really felt like jumping into the ocean. Everything else be damned, as long as I got to fucking live.

I doubt I have that option anymore though. Beacon has her eyes on me, and I already made a huge bet on this. If I backed out now, she would chop me apart and scatter the remains.

And I would have disappointed everyone, wouldn't I?

Goddamnit. I wish I was home. Or I had my mother, teachers, or even a single classmate... This fucking sucks.

"Well?" A voice cut through my haze of thoughts.

"Yeah yeah, hold on." I cut show weakness here, Beacon is like a fucking shark here - "Alright, give me a sec."

Fooooooo~ Alright, stop moping.

Think about yourself.

Win.

Win to survive.

I took a second deep breath, and put a finger to my head. "Siren? I assume the 'radar' is ready and operational, right?" I spoke out lord, while trying to ensure that those same thoughts were broadcasted into the minds of the staff.

At least Phoenix was able to organise thsi 'communication network amongst us. It would be hell trying to organise everyrhing with any form of delay here.

 _"Yep!"_ Siren's reply was eerily chirpy.

"Alright, please have it on screen." I made sure rhat my message wasn't just sent to Siren, but also Rally, given that the 'screen' mainly worked thanks to her cooperation-

The black, empty space suddenly changed, displaying a replica of a typical old cathode-ray based radar screen. Two lines, light green and perpendicular to each other, appeared. Moments later the first scan results appeared, with 30 dots in a neat formation, coming closer each time the wave swept across said 'screen'.

And the main problem of this feature showed up. As far as I knew, the Abyssals had based this off the very primitive systems that were installed on WWII-era warships. Which meant, there was no IFF capacity on it, and it could be easily jammed, by either any electronic countermeasures the humans had or the ones we derived. Also, given that the set we were currently using was jury-rigging from several parts, we didn't have much time to fully calibrate it, meaning that it was still unreliable and thus required other methods to verify the data. Sliver lining? At least it wasn't affected by the abysmally confused weather outside.

But hey, any information was better than no information.

"A force, 30 strong." Maybe that worked? "Most likely a scouting force, given the small number of shipgirls sent out...Siren. Do you have any idea what shipgirls are _those?"_

 _"Hmmm...there are_ 6 _Battleships...7 Cruisers...13 Destroyers...and..."_

"And _what?"_

 _"Well...I can't tell what the last four are. Their signatures are too...different, like they...are shipgirls...yet not shipgirls. Its...hard to explain."_ Siren tone was especially shaky, as if she was disturbed by that.

"Ok." What the hell? Is there another type of shipgirl other than the Missile Destroyers? I tried to fight down the fear inside as I tried to comprehend that possibility.

"Can you tell what are the shipgirl's positions in the formation?" I asked, grabbing a piece of paper to copy the formation on a piece of paper.

 _"They are all closely bunched up together, so its hard to tell._ I _can say, however, is that the unknown contacts are at the front of the formation."_

"Alright." I noted that down. "How long till they reach here?"

 _"15 minutes."_

"Ok." Now, should we follow the original plan?

Yes. Currently, they are in a good position to strike. Torpedo attacks would be very effecrive with this plan - they would have problems seperating and disengaging. We would have to adjust that the Abyssals would hit them from behind...artillery is still not an option, but we can move the rocket platforms, if they are needed. Anti missile and aircraft...still a problem.

"Siren, please activate the airborne radar."

 _"Um, sorry, just now the structure broke when we tried to start it, and...it collapsed."_

 _"What?"_ Oh fucking shit, now of all times? "Ok, how about your personal ones? Can you detect any human aircraft?"

 _"We...can, but all we are seeing is_ a _garbled mess."_ This time, it was Phoenix who spoke. Not good...fighting with an completely unknown enemy air presence was totally bad news. "Alright, if you guys launch planes now, how long will it take for them to reach the enemy?

"A _few minutes."_ Not too shabby, but sending troops without air cover...is still not desirable, despite short amount of time. Not to mention I don't know of any advances the humans have made in aeronautics other than 'giant flying battleship'.

Was a risk I am willing to take?

"Hey, human, time is running out, you know." Beacon's cold voice resounated through the room.

"I know, I know, hold on." I replied hurriedly. Take, or don't take?

Dammit, no time for anymore decisions!

"Fine, we will have to take the risk. Commander, please tell your division to launch their planes, fighters and dive bombers only. Do your best to gain intel on enemy air forces."

 _"Acknowledged."_

"Juri, Yuri, please confirm, are you two ready?" I pegged the both of them.

 _"Confirmed." "Ready!"_

"Alright, we are ready to go. There's a change - now, attack from diagonally behind, not from the sides, sweep past them and release all your torpedoes, before going into a melee. Warning: for a few minutes you will be fighting with no air cover! In that case, ensure that your AA systems are ok and make sure not to get hit by any bombs and torpedoes."

 _"Understood!"_ This is crazy. Having 50 Abyssals hand hold on two chains...

I clear my throat. "45 seconds countdown, begin!"

As they began counting, I lean back against the chair. Only then I realise that I have liquid on my forehead.

How do Abyssals sweat anyway?

"So, you are still not going to rely on my powers?" Beacon spoke.

"I already said it - they are most likely launching a scout force first, so it would be better to use your powers for their main thrust." I wiped the 'sweat' off manually. "Phew, talk about tough..."

"Hmm, I noticed. You haven't said anything about the fact you would be killing your own kind."

Huh?

"You have been really uptight about the fact that you still see yourself as human, Magician. And yet, you are commanding us, a 'race' that is not human, to kill them."

...fuck, I can't deny that, can I

"Is the really the time?" I spit out those words slowly and carefully.

"Maybe."

I snort. "Just...could we continue this later?"

"Maybe."

 _Don't fucking do this._ Anger pulses through my heart. "Whats your reason for doing this?"

"My own amusement? But honestly, it is interesting to see the thoughts of a hypocrite."

Time ticks away as I ponder her comments.

"If I don't win this, I will die. And that's my priority. For now."

"So you consider your survival more paramount than your loyalty to your race. That's...selfish, cowardly, intolerable in fact...but it matches what I know of you." She glided over, towering over me.

With the old sadistic smile back.

"Well, just don't disappoint me, _human."_ She slowly returned to her place.

...sigh.

"God, please forgive me, for whatever I do." I murmur.

The countdown reached zero, and I braced myself for a battle.

 _"45 seconds countdown, begin!"_

As Magician's voice went off in the network of minds, two sisters recieved it, and acknowledged the order.

"Sister, which position do you wish to take?" Juri asked.

Yuri pondered over it for a few moments before giving her reply. "Why don't you make your choice instead? I will be happy on either side."

"Hmmm." After feeling her thoughts filter through her sister's mind, Juri replied, "Perhaps I should take the left flank. My right arm is still damaged from the previous battle."

"Then I shall take the right side." Light laughter premated their minds for a few moments.

"Sister...this battle will be interesting, won't it?"

"True."

Both siblings thought the same way. Wordlessly, they explored their positions now - their new commander, their new abilities, the progress they made. Both felt proud of that progress, and they could feel each other's pleasure.

And they more than eager to test that mettle.

The countdown ticked down to its last few seconds.

"Sister, good luck."

"Same to you."

They closed their eyes. As they focused, energies coalased around the groups, bending laws of physics and theories yet unexplored.

When they opened their eyes again, they found themselves facing the exposed backs of their enemies.

And in a single instant, the hunters became the hunted.

Unpausing, the cruisers and destroyers took a few steps, in sync, infront of their formations, and extended their torpedo tubes. With a single motion, they fired their weapons, and the torpedoes lept from their launchers like hunting dogs.

As the tubes of twisted metal and magic rushed forward to bring death to those in their way, their would-be victims only just realised the danger they were in.

 _"Good. Cruisers and destroyers, return to your formations and stay under the cover of the battleships. All units, begin broadside actions!"_

 _As_ strange magics propelled the bearers of oblivion, a chord of gunfire signalled the start of the battle.


	10. Chapter 2-03 - Order Of Battle

"WHERE THE FUCK DID THEY COME FRO-"

"TORPEDOES! TORPEDOES IN THE WATER!"

"DAMMIT! WE ARE TOO CLOSE TOGETHER TO CONDUCT EVASI-"

"AHHHHHHHHHH!"

In the land of the confused, pandemonium reigned.

Staff hurried around, frantically looking for a solution as they checked and rechecked readings in disbelief. The tactical holographic map was in disarray - a group of symbols indicating any friendly forces were in complete disarray after the devastating flanking attack performed by the Abyssals, which had, to disbelief of the bridge crew, appeared out of completely nowhere.

Through the live video feeds and inter-fleet communications, the situation was even more dire - explosions obscured or damaged cameras, causing them to shut off with each crewman fearing for the fate of its bearer. Screams and cries for help filled the comms, causing mass confusion as important data was lost in transmission, commands all but ignored. Mass panic took hold, turning the entire force - and the bridge - into disarray. The weapons directed at them which were firing mercilessly did not help.

All in a couple of seconds.

On his chair, Rear Admiral Zhang's face was blank as his mind rapidly cycling through strategies too quickly to spare a thought to changing his expression. The requests for any kind of support passed by him as a counter plan formed inside his mind.

He was a veteran, and while this situation was completely unexpected, he could turn the tables, but only if they acted fast.

 _"Air support we can provide immediately, but the combatants are too close to actually provide long range missile support. Problem, is that we need to retreat - and as far away from their 'teleporting'."_

Barely seconds passed when his solution came up.

"All shipgirl units! Activate all boosters and head nearer to the Abyssal Base! Get away from the enemy forces as far as possible, and Phi Squadron is to take up the rear! Suppress them with medium range fire Air units are to slow down the enemies as they can and watch out for the incoming Abyssal air support. Battlegroup, prepare 'Spears' for launch and begin targeting the Abyssal forces."

With his voice refined by years of naval warfare, he brought order to his command. Stunned bridge crew returned to their duties with renewed determination honed by training, and shipgirls took new heart, preparing to retaliate.

Looking upon them, the Admiral also felt savage determination fill him. By hook or crook, he would win this.

Hinata Tsumiki's thoughts were also in disarray.

At the head of the formation while they were suddenly hit from the back was not good. Especially with all her comrades blocking any available line-of-sight she had on the enemy.

So currently, she was now stuck at the wrong side of the fighting while she watched others get butchered by the monstrous Abyssals.

She began to manouver, her massive bulk narrowly dodging a pair of stray shells. Gritting her teeth, she switched her main communications frequency from the completely chaotic main channel to her squad's personal channel. 'Phi Squadron," she growled, "prepare to move around the main formation and begin our counterattack on the enemy -"

A fleetwide broadcast cut through any order she was about to give, with the voice of her confidant.

 _"All shipgirl units! Activate all boosters and head nearer to the Abyssal Base! Get away from the enemy forces as far as possible, and Phi Squadron is to take up the rear! Suppress them with medium range fire Air units are to slow down the enemies as they can and watch out for the incoming Abyssal air support. Battlegroup, prepare 'Spears' for launch and begin targeting the Abyssal forces."_

Right after the broadcast, immediately order and discipline retook the shipgirl forces, overturning the disarray they were originally in. One after another, light glowed on various shipgirls as they activated their personal booster packs and took the moment to bug out. They passed by the Lieutanant, ignoring her as they rushed past in a position optimised for speed.

Meanwhile, Hinata stood in place, silently switching the communication channel to Phi Squadron's personal channel. Already, her squad was assembling into place.

 _"Squad Leader?"_ Sayaka was the first to report in, her voice no longer timidly soft. She appeared at Hinata side, weaveing through retreating groups of shipgirls.

 _"I'm here, Lieutenant."_ Jae-Hee was next, appearing while steadying herself. As she moved up, Hinata watched another shipgirl limp away, her uniform bloodied and torn.

 _"Here!"_ Xiaoyan was the last to pop up, arriving as the rest of the fleet retreated - ironically, in fact - towards the Abyssal base.

With almost no delay, Hinata yelled, "Fire at will!"

All four shipgirls raised their turrets, electricity humming as the railguns hummed with power, and magic capacitors charged with energy.

As each of them pulled the trigger on their weapons, thousands of volts of electricity shot through their barrels of their cannons as magic flowed through each piece of loaded ammunition. Supercharged with magic and electricity, shells shot out out of their barrels, the cannons answering the loud blasts of the Abyssal guns with sleek, near-silent _throom_ s.

Hinata's quarry, a battleship, was busy snarling when all 8 of the railgun shots slammed into her. The shells utterly smashed through the battleship's armor, destroying magically enhanced armor with sheer kinetic force. Barely a moment later the stored magic within the shells detonated with catastrophic effect, the shockwave buffeting the nearest Abyssals. As the smoke cleared, nothing of the Abyssal was left, completely obliterated by the attack.

Yet a second after the death of 3 others, Phi Squadron's guns were already reloaded, the advanced loaders of their cannons quickly loading a new shell. Firing again, they damaged yet another 2 Abyssals, snarling as they delivered death to the monsters. But even as they held their ground, the Abyssals closed in, forcing them to begin dodging a volley of shells.

 _"Phi Squadron, good work, but stay out of range of the Abyssal attacks. They are also quite capable of mauling you guys too. Besides, the carriers have finally got their heads out of their heads, and they are sending heavy ordinance down your way!"_ A second voice came over the comms, which Hinata accepted with a simple nod and 'yes'.

"Squad, retreat!" Hinata spun around and activated her own booster pack, letting magic rush through her body and propelling herself foward at superfast speeds. Looking back, she watched as a couple of flares flew towards the Abyssals, from the direction of her carrier. Smiling, she turned around -

Only to see a large fleet of Abyssal flyers sweeping forwards, heading for her - and the forward fleet. As she watched, a flock of the monstrous machines detached from the main battlegroup, swooping towards the already damaged forward.

Yet she hoped they wouldn't do much damage. At least the other groups would be able to handle them, even if some of them were injured -

Her thoughts were interrupted by a whooshing sound filling the atmosphere. She looked up, seeing a strange missile cut through the air. It had a pair of wings, and it a prominent vapour trail followed it. Frowning, she looked at its vapour trail, following it to...

...the Abyssal base.

Heart seized by terror, she looked back at the strange missile, which soared lazily through the sky -

Before exploding above the Abyssals.

Frowning agin, she wondered what its purpose was -

Out of a sudden, the 'flares' - or missiles headed for the Abyssals went completely haywire; they swooped in multiple directions, spiraling, falling out of control. The missiles either went plunging into the oceans, or went spinning into the sun.

 _No way, they can't have-!_

A loud buzzing sound reminded her that she was in danger. As she looked up, she spotted three Abyssal aircraft aiming for her face, bombs and guns poised to kill.

 _"Magician, I see flares in the sky."_ As I stared at the radar screen, watching shipgirl forces dash away from Abyssal forces, Phoenix's voice rang out in my ear. Missiles? Dammit, with the airborne radar gone, we can't exactly identify them...

 _"We are now under attack by enemy aircraft."_ Juri. Alright, the main force is finally getting engaged by aircraft. Not good too, that needs to be countered or shut down ASAP.

I leaned back in my chair, nearly sighing. How should I approach this?

How did the generals and commanders of old planned their strategies?

Hmmm...they started...with their objectives...I think...

Right, focus on your objective, then work on accomplishing them...

What are my objectives? The focus of this battle...is to defend this base. To defend this base, the Abyssals have to eliminate all hostile forces.

Given our position, the human forces are most definitely based from a carrier...which is hidden from our 'eyes'. So the way to win is to search and destroy the carrier, or deplete its forces.

The second is what we are doing here...but...no, this isn't how I should do this.

I need to counter the current moves of the enemy, while trying to complete mine. What they are doing now...is launching a salvo of missiles at our forces, having their air forces bombard ours, and manoeuvring their shipgirl forces away from ours.

What's their overall objective? Its to destroy this base - no, no, its...to get their forces back safely.

So...back to destroying their forces.

...this is hard.

Planning while trying to see the wider picture and looking at the tactical level...playing and sucking at C&C does not prepare this for you...

Right, don't reminisce! Goddamn, this is a battle! Focus!

So...the missiles. Well, time to deploy that 'chaff missile'...

As for the enemy aircraft...tch. That was a huge problem, mainly because we don't actually have a single silver of info on the aircraft they had. For all we knew, they could be literal spacecraft.

Still, we have to deal with them..."Ok, Phoenix, how are far are your planes away from the enemy?" I asked.

 _"Within visual range of both shipgirls and aircraft."_ Right. So...how to maximise their use...I checked the piece of paper that I had recorded the strength of the Abyssal forces in the field.

A quick look at the paper informed me of the force composition - a fleet of bog-standard fighters and bombers. Ok, I guess I can use them to bombard the shipgirls and defend our forces...and also get visuals on the aircraft the

How about the naval Abyssal forces? Hmmm...

Maybe...I could get Beacon to do - no, no. I don't think that her power would help much here...I guess...I will just have to tell them to continue chasing down the shipgirls, forcing them in between the base's defences and the Abyssal forces.

Hmmm. There's still those 'strange shipgirls' holding down the line. They were the ones using railguns on their rigging...they could do a lot of damage to the Abyssal forces.

What to do?

I think...what did the Art Of War say about encirclement again? 'Always leave a hole open so that the enemy will not fight to their death'?

If I go by that train of thought...then, I could split the forces in two again, and charge at the shipgirl units from two sides..hmm, lets go with that

Ok...the missiles, the enemy aircraft and the shipgirls...what else? Should we also use the floating missile platforms? There's probably no need for them at this rate...yeah, I guess I should conserve their limited ammo.

...That's it, time to consolidate my orders...Done.

I clear my throat and begin.

Siren-Of-Knowledge was busy at work on the few pieces of prototype equipment on the deck of the base when the command came in.

While humming a strange ditty to herself, she busy organised the team that was in charge of the damaged airborne radar, who were gently pushing and attaching the now repaired radio mast to the podium it was originally placed on.

Staring at it for the umpteen time in a row, she giggled. Despite it looking like a piece of bizarre patchwork, Siren clearly was proud of the fruit of her labour from the last few days. Since it was actually cobbled together from a couple of still working equipment parts and held together by the twisted black metal so associated with Abyssals, it was of no surprise that on its third activation, it had, quite literally, fallen apart.

Not that it was of any concern to Siren. To the Gatherer, the device had worked once, which meant for all intents and purposes, she was right.

Of course, that attitude wasn't earning her any compatriots soon.

While the Abyssals under her command were busy fixing the radar, Siren was busy contemplating how to improve on its existing design. "So, that part has to be attached more tightly...maybe if I move the oscillator there, the power required would be less...and oh, I have to make sure that it is more durable -"

 _"Siren!"_ Magician's voice suddenly interrupting her thoughts caused Siren to jump out of her skin.

"Y-yes!" The hybrid battleship-carrier cum scientist froze in attention.

 _"I need you to fire one of the chaff missiles, set to explode right above our naval forces. Hurry!"_ Receiving the command, Siren dropped her things and ran over to a piece of equipment mounted near the edge of the deck.

As she got closer, Siren caught a glimpse of the battle, watching shipgirls and the Abyssals fighting them edge closer to the base. Up in the sky however, was a series of sharp lights.

The piece of equipment mounted there was a very crude missile launcher- a pair of hollow rails with metal bindings and a launch pad, mounted on a dirty-looking turret mount. Alongside it was ordinance placed in the most careless way possible - a series of multi-coloured missiles laid out along the deck.

Each missile was largely reminiscent of a V1 flying bomb - a rounded bullet like shape with a pair of wings attached to their sides, along with two engines attached to either side of its back. It was completely black in colour, except for a single ring in the middle - Magician's suggestion for differentiating the two types of missiles she had came up with. A yellow ring for the live missiles, and a white one for the chaff missiles.

Grabbing a white one by both ends, Siren heard Magician telling her to hurry up. "Sorry, but I'm busy loading them right now!"

As she placed the missile on the launch pad, she heard Magician shout at her in stupendous disbelief. _"What? You didn't load one already?"_

Ignoring her superior's complaints, she ran to the back of the launcher, grabbing hold of a pair of hand holds. With a grunt she started to aim the entire construct, tilting it till the very top aimed above the heads of the Abyssal force.

Satisfied, Siren took a few steps back and aimed her hand at the base of the missile. After a few moments, it started emitting a hissing sound, before a flame shot out of its engines, propelling it and causing it to shoot straight up the rails and into the horizon.

Not missing a beat, she pointed her hand at the missile and concentrated, and her point-of-view suddenly switched to the missile's, high above the battlefield. As a carrier, Siren also had the ability to assume control of any of her aircraft, and that was the same trick she had used on the missile. The only problem was, that she could not exactly control it, due to it lacking control surfaces of any sort.

Not that she needed that, all she needed to do was detonate the missile at the right place and time. Of course, if she could develop such a feature, it would be all the more amazing; being able to remotely control them and guide them into the faces if their enemies...

Siren returned to reality as she caught first sight of her allies. She counted down for 3 seconds, before detonating the missile.

When she reopened her eyes, she spotted the cloud of silvery dust scattering light rays all over the place. Tenseness seized her as she watched the incoming enemy missiles. Would it work? Or would she have to go back to the drawing board again -

And the missiles went haywire.

Each of them which were following a set graceful parabolic curve suddenly went spiralling in all directions - some went soaring in other directions as if tracking a new unknown contact, some simply detonated on the spot as they believed to have found their mark, while others simply spiraled downwards and smashed suicidally into the ocean, creating great plumes of water on the way.

Siren's jubilent voice filled the base and any mind-networks it contained as she jumped for joy. "YES! HAAHHAHA! YEEEESSSS!"

 _"Allright! Juri, Yuri and Phoenix, commence the second round of attacks!"_

Giant-Phoenix-that-Watches stood silently on the deck of the base, her hands on her staff that was positioned in front of her.

"Acknowledged."

With that, she began giving out orders to the units under her command. 12 other Abyssal carriers - around half of her personal division - were standing with Phoenix on the deck of the Abyssal base, on an area separated from the place where Siren's machinations were located.

As they had all trained and used their abilities together, all eleven of them worked as a singular entity - the formation of aircraft in the clouds that they controlled was perfectly synchronised, travelling at a steady speed.

As Phoenix divided each fleet of aircraft into two groups, the swarm easily transformed, morphing and changing with minimal effort. The fighters put up a burst of acceleration, zooming as far as possible to attack the enemy aircraft, whereas the bombers duck downwards while retaining their cruising speed, tilting their noses downwards as they aimed straight into the eyes of their vulnerable enemies.

Before long however, a wall of lead met them - superheated shells shot from rotary autocannons and fast-firing flak guns, and not to mention quite a few missiles were included, creating large explosions that threatened to throw any of her aircraft out of control. All shot from the 'new' weapons mounted on the shipgirls.

But Phoenix had planned for this. She had brought her personal division simply for the purpose of dealing with this threat. Having being briefed on the enemy's current anti-air capabilities, she had drilled with her division's airgroups on how to counter those threats.

At the chance to finally try them out, grim determination filled her thoughts.

She sent put her command again, and the other carriers obliged. With a single movement...all of the attacking bombers dipped their noses straight towards the sea.

The swarm decended at ferocious speed, diving from the clouds like a falcon after its prey. The targeting systems of the shipgirls attempted to correct for their enemy's tactic, but to no avail; the shells and bullets thrown out at such high rates of fire were narrowly missing the aircrart, and missiles just simply could not lock on to their targets fast enough.

As they were barely tens of meters above the sea, the swarm swerved upwards, heading straight for the shipgirls.

But even as it closed in, the advanced technology mounted on each of the shipgirl's rigging managed to scrape out some victories. Autocannon tore through the ranks of the aircraft, forcing them to perform wild loops and dodges in attempts to escape the line of fire.

As such, when they were fully committed to their attacks, the aircraft suffered massive hits to their accuracy. Bombs flew wide and hit the water, whereas torpedoes shot in between shipgirls. But, as battered as they were, they were full of the dogged desperation of their carriers, and soon explosions filled the air as various pieces of ordnance found their mark, followed by the screams of pain of their targets.

However, Phoenix had not let her squadrons fully commit to any attacks. Instead, they streaked above the melee, aiming for a target at the back of the enemy.

At the start of the battle, she had spotted the strange shipgirls, and she knew.

They were the ones who wielded blue spears of light.

They had been responsible of trashing her old commander, sending her crashing into the water before it even began.

And she had watched them slaughter the sisters under her command.

One thought filled her now, and it was vengeance.

Reaching out, she now assumed direct control over the bombers flying over the enemy.

Finally, they made their descent, and they aimed for all four of them.

Gunfire assaulted them, but she ignored it.

And with a cry of retaliation, all of the surviving bombers released all their weapons, delivering her anger to the enemy.

"Sir! The missiles are...they have diverted off course!"

"What?!" The Admiral pushed himself upwards in disbelief. "How?!"

"We...we are checking the diagnostic logs now, but the missiles...they just go completely haywire when they hit a certain area around the the enemy fleet!"

"Admiral! We have detected a massive amount of magic pollution around the enemy fleet! Our magic-based sensors are unable to see through the pollution, and we have lost contact with enemy forces!"

Admiral Zhang collapsed back into his chair in shock. _How the hell are the Abyssals doing this,_ he thought. _Our technology shouldn't be affected by Abyssal magic pollution, and yet...wait..._

Turning to his command, he asked, "How are the communication systems holding up? And the other parts of our sensor suite; are they unaffected by the blast?"

A radar operator turned to him. "Sir, currently all other detection systems are working, and we still have positioning and communications on our forces. However, with the magic pollution over the enemy fleet, we cannot detect their presences or triangulate their positions. As far as I know, this means that our battlegroup are not able to launch missiles of any sort."

Heaving a sigh of relief, the Admiral calmed himself down. "Fine. How about our air forces? Are they anyway affected by this outburst of magic pollution?"

"Their onboard sensor suites have been affected, so they will not be able to execute long-range attacks, but overall dogfighting capability have not be reduced at all."

"Alright -" Before he had a chance to settle down however, more bad news came.

"Sir! Our forces have just come under attack by Abyssal air forces! They are currently engaging both our air and naval forces!"

"Sir! Our forces report that the Abyssals have regrouped, and they are advancing in two groups on their position!" Two seperate technicians yelled dire warnings, their voices reverberating throughout the bridge.

Zhang's heart skipped a beat. "Damn! What are our forces' remaining strength?"

"We only have 21 shipgirls afloat, and at least 4 of them are in no condition to fight. Phi Squadron is still operational, but currently they are heavy fire from airborne attacks."

The Admiral quickly refered to the holographic battle map that was mounted on his armrest. Reactivating the tactical input from the magic detectors, he was greeted by a mess of false signatures and enemy warnings. Looking away, he asked, "Have the relief teams been readied for action?"

"Relief teams are on standby and waiting for your order, sir."

"Launch them. Relief carriers are to have their airgroups put pressure on the enemy battlegroup. Same goes for the relief teams. As for the remaining main forces, they are to circle around the enemy fleet, and head straight back here. Again, Phi Squadron is to take up the rear of the two groups." Turning to the officer responsible for the fleet's cyberwarfare suites, he ordered, "Isolate the cause for the magic pollution. Find out what the hell's going on."

==============

"Guh!"

As multiple bombbay's worth of explosives hit her, Hinata let out a grunt of pain.

Despite dodging with as much agility she could muster, she was a battleship, and the enemy had planned out its attack run so meritoculously that she could barely escape. Not to mention the falling star that it launched just seconds before impact.

She pulled herself up, changing from the prone position she had assumed to block the brunt of the attack. As she moved, she felt herself shake uncontrolably. _Shit_ , she thought. She reactivated the HUD on her visor, only to get distorted lines of code as the computer systems struggled to repair and stabalise themselves.

Turning the visor off instead of letting the distortion impair her vison, she checked her own integrity. Parts of rigging were smoking, although those came from left over superficial flames on the superstructure. Dented, bent and damaged armor plating could be seen everywhere, highlighting the seriousness of the blow, and fairies were flying all around her, repairing and fixing broken parts to the best of their ability.

Reaching into herself, Hinata felt the energy streams that formed her 'components' Relief washed through her as energy pumped through her, with no irregularities stemming from damage appearing. Quickly reasserting herself, she reactivated her HUD, now clean of any broken code, and began contacting her squad.

"Phi Squadron, damage report!" Affrimatives came in from the other three, reporting only armor damage and nothing serious. Stunned by the claims of superficial damage, she looked down at herself again. _I've been aware of the upgrades I got, but I never they could shrug off that much damage-  
_  
The bit of ocean to her left suddenly exploded, a shell having hit its surface with lethal force.

 _Don't marvel at yourself, Lieutanant! Your aren't invincible yet!_ Training reminded her of her own capabilities, and she took it, quickly retreating to avoid contact.

In doing so, she opened her tactical map, but instead faced a map full of flashing Abyssal signatures.

 _What-? What happened?_ "Phi Leader here- what is going on?!" Hinata shouted in her microphone, her voice directed straight at the bridge of the _Tsukyumori_.

As she dodged to avoid even more shells raining from the Abyssal forces, she got only static from the transmission. " _Tsukyumori-_ hello?!"

" _Tsu- *_ kssh* _-mori here."_ A voice finally answered her, despite being heavily hampered by static. _"To all squad-_ *ksssh* _-leaders, be advised that the enemy has-_ *kssssh* _-some kind of magic-_ *ksh* _-device. Any magic-based sensor suites have been disrupted, and-_ *kkkkkkssh* _-munications may be affected. Missile support of any type is unavailable at the moment."  
_  
"Huh?!" Hinata shouted in disbelief. "Then what's coming to assist us!?"

 _"Phi Leader, currently_ -*ksssh* - _a relief team is being deployed to aid you in_ \- *ksssh* - _your retreat. Right now, however, you are required to lead all remaining_ -*ksssh*- _ces out of the enemy's pincer movement. Your map has been updated with your new_ -*kssh*- _objectives."  
_  
Hinata swapped her visor's view to a image of a map. On it were a large red blob indicating the Abyssal forces and another red rectangle indicating the Abyssal base. Right now, a cluster of white dots which indicated friendly forces was currently trapped in between the two red shapes, but on it, as the map switched to a simulation mode, the white dots rearranged themselves into two lines, before each line 'escaped' out of the openings on either side of their formation. Meanwhile, yellow dots indicating her squadron formed up the front and rear of each line.

Hinata immediately understood. Spinning herself around, she speeded up, again activating the booster packs on her back. Bracing herself for yet another barrage of shells, she contacted the other members of her squadron. "Did all of you get the command?"

"Yes." "Yes." "Yes." All three replied at the same time, with the same words, with quiet determination.

"Alright. Tsunemori, launch the Hawk!"

 _"Understood!"_ In the distance, Hinata saw a black shape shoot upwards, before suddenly expanding into a large, sleek quadcopter. It then began to rise under its own power, flying to stay above its bearer.

The ATD-201 Hawk that Sayaka carried was a prototype lookout drone that was meant to aid Phi Squadron in targeting its enemies. 2 and a half metres long and wide, it was equiped with a powerful set of computers and sensors to do its duty. As it rose, it used its suite of cameras to focus on the approaching enemies. Calculating and swiftly determining its enemies' and allies' positions, it began submitting its targeting data to the _Tsukyumori_ as well as its operators.

Hinata watched her map as red dots appeared on it, the Abyssals' true positions revealed by Phi Squadron's eye in the sky. Selecting one target, she swirveled her turrets around, trimmed her aim, and fired.

Unfortunately, the blue spears were off, and they slammed into the patch of water right next to her target, and provoking a retailatory salvo from the Abyssals. Most of them missed and hit the ocean, but two aimed true and slammed into Hinata's back.

"Guuhhck!" As the hot flame of the explosion washed over the battleship, she tried to withstand the pain of having two shells nearly knock her over. Gritting her teeth, she fired again, her guns loading faster than her opponent.

This time her aim was true, and the Abyssal disappeared from the map with a scream.

Both sides traded fire even as the distance between them widened. Blue fire and glowing shells arced pver the battlefield, yet most of them simply plunged into the ocean, missing their targets again and again.

As Phi Squadron reached their fellows, they were greeted by a sorry sight. Damaged shipgirls were trying to moved into lines, and the limping wounded were slowly marshaled into in more defendable positions. Already some shipgirls were in inflatable rafts, their rigging shattered, no longer in any capacity to fight. As Phi Squadron came in however, their spirits rose again, and the organising of the remaining forces sped up.

"Ok, Jae-Hee, Xiaoyan, take up the left side. Tsunemori, follow me." As Hinata moved to her position, another squad leader moved up to her. "How far back are the monsters?" she rasped.

"At least several minutes behind," Hinata replied. The other squad leader nodded, before going into a angry triade.

"Fuck, how the hell did those beasts suddenly do that? Why? Fucking assholes..." as she walked off, Hinata heard the pain in her voice - the pain of one having lost men.

Shutting out any new voices in her head, she turned to Sayaka, who was standing behind her, "Take the rear, I'll take the front." Nodding, Sayaka moved to the back of the line, and the formation moved.

Returning her senses to battle, Hinata once again took stock of their situation. Right now, they were moving at maximum speed, hoping to circle around the Abyssal forces, and meet up with the relief forces. Meanwhile, they would bombard the Abyssals to force them to stay back -

 _"Ma,am! The Hawk is reporting fresh aircraft leaving the Abyssal Base!"_ Sayaka's voice came over the comm, as the sounds of anti-aircraft weapons activating filled the space.

"Dammit." Hinata swore to herself.

 _"All squadrons, burn the rest of your boosters! Get out, get out of there!"_ Not a moment too soon, the _Tsukyumori's_ warning was followed by the whistling of enemy shells.

The fleet splitted apart, and simultaneously activated their booster packs. As their magic fuel slowly began running out, a wave of shells fell on each shipgirl's previous postition, splashing many of them with even more water.

Screaming with rage, Hinata swirveled her guns, and fired-

And a demoness descended from the sky, with a flaming spear held high, its tip aimed straight for her head.

Juri and Yuri had been providing fire support, lobbing shells into the air when Magician's panicked shout came over the network.

 _"Shit shit shit! Juri, Yuri, grab some of your forces and block off the enemy's path!"_

Acknowledging the command, both of them stopped shooting and zoomed in on the movements of their targets. They were speeding off, trying to circle around their formation while retaliating with artillery fire.

In other words, escaping.

 _"Shall we cut them off? If you wish, I will again take the left and you take the right."_

 _"Indeed."_

Moving off, both sisters selected 5 other Abyssals from their battlegroups, telling them to stay put. Desummoning their own rigging, they warped through space, grabbing each of their selected units one by one.

 _"Let's aim for the head of the serpents, shall we?"_

 _"Agreed!"_ Addressing each other in hypnotic tones, both of them appeared near the front of the two lines, dropping their loads, who then fired their first devastating salvo. As enemy shipgirls cowered under their sudden appearance, Yuri took the chance to scan her enemies. Her attention was immediately diverted to the frontmost unit, the one who

- _the one with the strange aura,_ she thought. Focusing on her, Yuri studied her features. She had the bulk of a battleship, with four dual-barrel turrets adorning her person, each humming with energy. Her armor was damaged, but it was only superficial - and the damaged areas showed a metal - or some other material - that she could not recognize.

Most importantly however, her attention was elsewhere, completely ignorant of Yuri.

Putting herself in a battle stance, Yuri snapped her right hand to the side. A black liquid, appearing seemingly out of nowhere, flowed down her arm and into her hand. Gradually, it began forming a pole within her hand, growing and lengthening, until it was an almost two-meter long polearm with a spearhead at the end.

She leapt, and teleported. Feeling herself reappear right above her self-designated opponent, she swung her weapon down, its tip aiming downwards at her opponent's head.

However, the enemy had felt her presence, and thus jumped out of the way in time. Yuri crashed into the water, kicking up a massive spray into the air.

Moments later, two shells shot out of the water, heading directly for the shipgirl, followed closely by a wild-eyed Yuri. As she charged, the shipgirl angled her armor, causing the shells to ricochet off her armor, before hurriedly spinning around to avoid Yuri's charge.

Slamming one foot into the water, Yuri regained her balance, swinging around to meet her opponent. The shipgirl attempted to finish the engagement, firing her spears of light again; but Yuri had seen the turrets move, and thus before they had locked on, she leapt, and was back in the air.

As she flew, she drew her weapon back, and the spearhead violently transformed back into liquid metal, before coalescing into the form of a _guandao_. As she fell, she swung her weapon downwards, hoping to cut her opponent in half-

Except her opponent had not be idle, and quickly put a few meters between her Yuri again, causing her to slice the water surface again, creating two waves on either side of the weapon.

The two enemies faced each other for a few moments, heaving-

When the shipgirl ducked and ran for it.

Yuri suddenly found herself aiming a weapon at no one, wide-eyed, staring at the retreating back of her enemy-

-and barely ducked under the hot wrath of yet another salvo of railgun rounds.

Snapping out of her confusion, she teleported yet again, appearing right in front of the shipgirl again. Propelling herself forward, she swung her weapon, as a sheath of energy surrounded its head.

The shipgirl quickly sidestepped, and the blade, instead of dealing a fatal blow, sliced into the armor belt of the shipgirl's rigging. The superheated blade cut through, but barely penetrated it, leaving a glowing gash in its wake.

The enemy's turrets swivelled around again, impossibly fast, and once again Yuri was forced to disengage, pushing away from her quarry.

Resummoning her gauntlets, she fired yet another salvo, and her enemy disappeared under a cloud of black smoke. Barely seconds passed as two more rounds shot out, narrowly bypassing her.

Grunting, she put herself back on guard, as she watched the smoke dissipate. Her opponent emerged from the smoke, looking just as infuriatingly unhurt as before, if not more pissed off.

Again, she quickly took stock of the situation. Her enemy was not getting weaken or damaged by her ranged attacks, her armor was way two strong for her to simply cut, and her guns were fast _and_ dangerous.

The speed and agility of a destroyer combined with the sheer power of a battleship.

How then, to defeat her?

Very quickly did she find the answer though.

She charged at her enemy, straight on, brandishing her spear in front of her. Its head glowed as a massive amount of magic and energy surged and filled it.

She watched as the turrets spun around, their barrels struggling to track her.

As they glowed blue, she warped, reappearing right next to the shipgirl.

Throwing all her momentum into the blow, she drove the spear right into the upper-right turret of her enemy. The spear-head penetrated the turrets armor, driving straight into the inside of the turret. Delicate components and instruments all broke under the brunt of the attack, splintering and breaking into pieces.

Electricity arced over the turret as damaged capacitors prematurely released their stored charges, forcing Yuri to quickly dive away. The entire piece of weaponry then exploded, causing the shipgirl to scream and clutch her side in pain.

Smiling, Yuri prepared, a second strike, this time aiming straight for the heart -

Only to be cut of as suppressive fire came in from the side. Ducking and dodging, she frantically tried to evade the constantly incoming shots from afar. Finally she teleported away, and she looked for her new assailant.

She was another shipgirl similar to the one she had been fighting, except that this time she was blue-haired, a little smaller and had 6 dual barrel turrets instead. As the new entrant spotted Yuri again, she spun around and began firing her guns in sequence, pouring an relentless barrage of fire on Yuri.

Scowling as her kill was interrupted, Yuri quickly teleported back to the main Abyssal formation.

At the same time Yuri began her assault, on the other side of the battlefield, Juri was preparing hers.

Seeing a line of shipgirls moving at high speeds, she carefully plotted out a path. She planned to teleport quickly, dodging between each enemy unit, striking them down before they had any chance of reacting.

With her plan of attack settled, she extended her arm to the right. Black liquid flowed down that arm, slowly forming into a sword similar in size and shape of a katana.

Everything set in motion, she made herself ready, and attacked.

Charging forward, she teleported onto her first target. With one stroke, she spun around and threw her whole body into the attack, slashing across the shipgirl's chest. Ignoring the red liquid that poured out from her blow, she teleported-

And found her attack blunted by what was supposed to be her second target, who angled her armor to meet her head on. The shipgirl who bore that armor had a deadpan expression on her face, except for the steel in her eye.

Both of them glared at each other, when the shipgirl pushed, forcing Juri off herself. As she hit the water, the shipgirl swiveled her turrets around, and fired them in sequence. Juri found herself moving backwards as she hastily moved out of the line of fire.

Before she even got anywhere fast, yet another salvo of suppressive fire came in from her left, forcing her to teleport. Reappearing a safe distance away, she scowled as she observed her opponents. They were wearing the same rigging - the 'strange' kind that Siren was unable to identify earlier on - and were now searching for her.

She looked at the turrets. Each of them brimmed with a strange energy that Juri was unable to identify herself. She knew of their destructive power, having watched several of her units fall to them.

Looking back at the shipgirls themselves, Juri scowled. With both of them on overwatch now, she couldn't execute any surprise attacks on the flotilla, and most likely they would cover each other's backs. Not to mention one salvo from those weapons would most likely be enough to take her out of comission.

As she planned out her attacks, she heard whooshing sounds from the sky. Looking up, she spotted quite a number of incoming air forces.

"Maybe Magician would know more of this." She spoke to herself.

There was too much, too much to continue fighting. The humans, despite being on the disadvantaged side, had still managed to cut their losses in time and retreat

With that last thought, she sheathed her weapon and disengaged.


	11. Chapter 2-04 - After Action Reports

Yeeesh, sorry about bringing this so late. I haven't been able to set time for copying these chapters over from Spacebattles Forums.

=================

"Ok, so let's begin discussing the issues we have encountered after this first battle."

I began with a short announcement. In front of me was a table, full with papers, writing material, drawings and some reports that were written by the participants of the battle. Standing on the left side of the table were Phoenix and Siren, whereas on the right side were the Secretaries. Facing me on the other side, was Beacon. And finally, right above the table, was a single eyeball hanging like a lamp, Rally's reminder of her ever constant presence.

My heart beat weakly with nervousness. I had spoken with them only a little after they had returned to the base; how would they view my performance as a commander?

With no response, I continued, "Um, ok, first off, I guess the chaff missiles have worked."

"Yeah!" Siren pumped one fist into the air, nearly causing me to jump back. "I was right, eh?"

"Alright, alright, settle down!" I hurriedly tried to stop her from dancing in glee. "Thing is, I have something to say about them! Why the hell weren't they loaded before the battle started?!"

"Ehhh..." All I got was a nervous and cheeky smile in return.

"They better be next time! You know what could have happened if you didn't manage to load them in time? We could have been dead fucking meat!" Part of me was still pissed off that the missiles weren't ready to be fired before the enemy's missile strike came in. "You are a battleship, aren't you? How the fuck did you make such a mistake?"

"Because she's a battleship that doesn't fight, so of course she doesn't know that." From the other end of the table, Beacon's mocking laugh sailed across.

I glared in response. "Hush. You didn't take part, and you didn't even let your forces do so either. Where did all that rhetoric about 'suffering is training' go?"

"Oh, are you getting cocky just after one battle?" More laughter came sailing by.

I didn't respond to that. While Beacon not getting involved in the fighting was nothing special, the fact that she forbade her forces from doing so was disquieting. She herself even tried hiding it, not informing me of the arrangement until we were sorting out the deployments. While I got the idea that maybe she didn't want a would-be in-competent from sending her forces down to the grave, her behavior itself was dis-quietening. There was a chance she might have some ulterior motives...

I shook my head. No time to be paranoid, besides she still stayed on and continued letting us use her resources. No point accusing her of such things now.

"Right!" I quickly switched topics."On other matters, Siren, has the airborne radar been fixed?"

"Yes!" It appears that the scolding that I gave her didn't stick.

"Are you sure it won't fall apart again?" I narrowed my eyes, looking straight into her eyes.

"Absolutely!"

"Have you tested it?" I really did not want another such incident happening again.

Siren looked at me, her cheeky grin fading just a little. I slapped my hand on my face, rubbing it irritably, my glasses be damned. "Goddamnit...go test it right now, make sure the thing ab-sol-ute-ly doesn't shake one fucking bit, _you hear me?_ " I attempted to add some steel into my words at the last bit.

She scampered off, her tail wobbling as she dashed into a doorway, before vanishing down the hallway. I sighed, releasing as much irritation from my mind as possible, before returning my attention to the table. "Ok, what was I saying- that's right about the missiles. Again, they have proven effective, but I would like to remind everyone that there may be a possibility that they may not work on other types of missiles that the humans will field against us."

"How sure are you on this matter?" Phoenix asked.

"Truthfully, almost a hundred percent. Humans have developed a plethora of tracking methods for their weapons, and while most don't work against you all, we already seen that they have produced one that does. And given what I know about human research and development, it would be unwise to assume that they have only one way to solving a solution." I replied.

"Then what do you plan to do if they use 'that' method instead?" Beacon fired off another arguement.

 _"Must I remind you of all the 'modifications' that he has made me do to myself in the previous days, Beacon? Surely your memory can't be poor as your tact, right?"_ Rally's dissatisfied tone filled the room.

Beacon countered, "And may I remind you on who went and designed those 'modifications'? The extremely unreliable idiot that just went running out of this room?"

Before the bickering went on, my nervousness caught up, making me laugh. "You are right. If I had tried pulling untested technologies and using them in battle while on the human's side, I would have had my head chopped off and stuck on a pole." As they looked at me, I continued, "Well, at least Siren isn't that unreliable, given at least _something_ works..."

"'Something works', he says." Sarcasm dripped from Beacon's mouth along with the words that flew out of it.

"And do we really need to continue debating this? While I appreciate your skecptism, I do beileve at this point we have gone past beating the dead horse and eating its rotten flesh." I sighed as I uttered the last words.

Before I could continue however, Yuri interrupted me. "What do you mean by 'beating the dead horse and eating its rotten flesh'?"

"Um..." Well, that was surprising. "That...that is a figure of speech. It means...'to constantly talk about a already settled matter.'" At this moment Siren ducked back into the room. "Is the thing actually working now?" I quickly turned to her and asked.

"Ehehe, yes!"

"Good, keep it on. There may be the possibility of any sudden strike on us." I refocused my attention back on the table. "With Siren finally back, I guess we can finally begin discussing the actually important matters here. Basically," I grabbed the pile of paper on the table and shuffled through them, finally picking up two large pieces of paper with drawings on them, "the 'strange' type of shipgirl, as well as the enemy air forces."

"Let us begin with the enemy shipgirls." I took out one of the drawings and laid them on an empty spot on the table. It had a very detailed drawing of the shipgirls in question, one with 4 large turrets and one with six smaller turrets. They didn't really look anywhere different from the other shipgirls I knew, if not for a few features that differentiated them so, such as having a heads-up visor as well as a less 'warship-esque' silhouette on their rigging, and overall having a more 'polished' look in general.

"Firstly, Juri, Yuri, please give us a report of your personal engagements with those shipgirls." I took out my personal notebook and pen, preparing to record down their statements."

Yuri came first. "When you told me to cut off the enemy's escape, I managed to observe them before I attacked. Firstly, their guns were similar to those that killed our old commander - they shot out those blue beams of light, and as I watched, I saw a single salvo of shots kill one of the units under my command. Also, those cannons reloaded faster than any other gun I saw - reloading within a few seconds.

"Hmmm, weapons fire at extremely fast rates, and they are also ridiculously powerful." I quickly wrote those down. "How about their armor?"

"Well," Juri spoke this time, "I was attacking them, and I had planned out an attack path, and when I tried to hit them, one of them just blocked my my sword like nothing!"

"Hmm?" Yuri turned to her sister. "I could cut through one of their armor, even it was only a little."

"Huh?! How does that work?!" Disbelief filled Juri's voice.

"Perhaps you have not charged the magic in your blade? Perhaps that's why the shipgirl blocked you so easily." Yuri suggested. "I managed to destroy one of her turrets by using my spear."

"Oh, did you?" I looked at her. "What happened? Did it just explode, or was there something else?"

"Well, when I stabbed it, it didn't explode first, but it broke. Then, when I pulled the spear out, there was some lightning, I think, before it exploded." Yuri clarified.

"Good." So that clears up the matter; they have magnetic weapons as their main armament. "Cannons are using either railgun or Gauss-based propulsion," I added to the weapons blurb. "Armor...is resistant to melee attacks, but may be vulnerable to magic-based attacks-" Wait.

I asked the Secretaries again, "How about your guns? How effective were they?"

"I didn't get to shoot." Juri muttered- wait, did she just make a pouty face?

Yuri picked up the slack. "Well, I fired my guns, but they didn't really have much effect on the shipgirl, although she did seem to look injured. I guess the bombs and torpedos used also hurt her a little."

"Ohhh-kaaayyy," I started. Putting my notebook into a pocket, I grabbed the drawings and looked at them."Firstly, which of them were you fighting? The one with the bigger turrets or the one with the smaller turrets?"

"The one with the bigger turrets..." Yuri also looked down at the drawings. "You know, now that I look at her more closely, she looks like a battleship."

"Uh-huh. If she was a battleship then it complicates matters - normally your guns wouldn't do that much damage to her in the first place. However, if those bombs and torpedos hurt her..." I looked at Phoenix. "Just how many bombs did your planes shit into her face?"

"If I'm not wrong, at least 15 to 20." I jumped back at the reply.

"Whhhhhhaaattt. What the flying _fuck._ " That's...that's just bullshit. That's just fucking bullshit of the highest order. "Twenty fucking bombs and she only suffered minor damage?"

"Yes." Yuri confirmed. "I saw her after that attack. She was still moving normally."

"Fuck. Me." I rubbed my face with my hands for a moment. "Alright. Did...any of you use magic to boost your shells or bombs?"

"...no." All three looked at each other before answering.

"Hallelujah!" I threw my arms into the air. "Hal-le- _fucking_ -lu-jah!" Thank. Fucking. God. "Resistant to normal shots...but _not_ magicially charged shots." I threw my hands back in the air again, before taking a few deep breaths.

"Now what is that supposed to mean?" Beacon looked amused.

"It means that we have a way to defea-"

"No, no." She pointed one sharp finger at me, continuing, "What was that? Your shouting and throwing your hands in the air?"

"That's how humans react when something good happens to them." I stared at her for a few moments. "Quite frankly, I actually can picture you trying something like that."

"Hmmm? Me?" She muttered in amusement.

"Anyways, I guess we have gathered what we know on these...shipgirls." I looked back on the drawings. "Their armor, their weapons...well, they are, to speak, far more advanced than what we can field at this point."

"Do you have any clue on how they work?" Juri asked me seriously.

"Well..." I scratched the back of my head. "As I mentioned, I'm a bit clueless on ow magic works here, and so I'm not reaaallly clear...to put it bluntly, I don't. These...these are stuff that goes way beyond what I know. But I can safely say that..that I'm quite sure what kind of weapons they are using."

"Which is?"

"The weapons they are using are most likely magnetically propelled." Grabbing another sheet of paper, I began to sketch another diagram. "There are two methods. Both are similar in that they use electricity to generate magnetic fields to propell those rounds. The first...is the railgun method. Basically, you have a pair of rails and the projectile, you put the projectile in the middile, then you fire electricity through the rails. The rails then generate a magnetic field which shoots the projectile."

I finished the diagram with a flourish. Did I get it right though?

I began work on the other diagram. "As for the other method, its called the 'Gauss gun' or something like that. This time, you have a set of coils. How it works is that you run electricity through each coil in sequence, so that a magnetic field is always right in front of the projectile. The fields than push it out of the barrel."

"What's the difference between the two?" Phoenix asked.

"There isn't much difference...except that...I think, that the Gauss gun allows one's to change the speed of the projectile, and that the railgun is a lot more unstable, but is somewhat more efficient." I paused as I considered my next sentence. "Point is, whichever kind of method they are using, this...'new' kind of shipgirl is capable of inflicting massive damage on our forces, and that we need to be very careful of her...or them." I sighed. "Later, we can hash out how to deal with that problem, but first, lets get to discussing the enemy's air forces."

========================

I grabbed the second drawing from the pile. It had on it a few drawings of various military planes - all of them post- 21st century era military fighters. I frantically racked my head to identify them. A F/A-18, Sea Harrier, two F-14 Tomcats in seperate wing configurations, and something...I think was a J-15? As far as I knew, they were a collection of all the jet fighters that used to operate on carriers.

Something bothered me. Why such a large collection of different kinds of planes? And why were they of old design? Shouldn't they be somewhat more advanced, like having planes such as F-35s or something more powerful?

I mean, they already had fucking _flying battleships_ , for god's sake. Why are they using airframes that was probably already half a century old at this point?

Maybe they had some upgrades under the hoo-

"Magician?" A voice knocked me out of my reverie. Whoops.

"Oh, sorry." I turned to Phoenix, who was waiting patiently. "I recognise these. Siren."

"Yes?" She looked at me.

"Remember when we discussing jet engines?"

"Y-e-s?"

"Well, the main feature of those aircraft is that they use those instead of normal propeller engines." Before anyone butted in, I continued, "For those of you who ask what are those, lets just say they are a more advanced engine that allows aircraft to move as super fast speeds. Siren, could you pass the jet engine schematic around?" A shuffle was heard as the drawing was passed around for all to see.

"Ok, so the crux of the matter is that all these aircraft, their design - and human air-combat docrrine - is centered based on the jet engine. Those aircraft are designed to be able to manuovre at extremely high speeds, and cruise even faster than those. As a result, dogfighting as you know it wasn't so prevalent any more, simply because it became easier to fire missiles from far away, rather than move close up and chase each other. But that really isn't important." I focused back on the main matter. "Putting it simply, they can just stay at far off distances and launch missiles, and if they wanted to dogfight, they can, and they are far more better at it."

"Nothing we haven't met before." Beacon's bored yawn echoed around the room.

"Well, I just explained how they work, Miss Couldn't-Be-Bothered." I retorted, before continuing. "What's more annoying, is that they are fielding quite a nasty amount of them too. Normally sixty airframes would be one third of a country's airforce. And already one frakking taskforce could field that many, not to mention the ones probably placed as spares on the enemy carrier."

"How do you beat them, then?" Phoenix asked.

"Normally I would suggest trying to swarm them with more planes, but I highly doubt we can do that at all now. The most obvious method would be simply just upgrading your planes..." I stole a quick glance at Siren while scratching my head, "...but we don't have the time, and most likely we would just mess up anyways...so I'm going to ask that you try strengthening your planes with magic."

Phoenix looked at me with a confused face.

"Ok, I mean that you could use magic to strengthen their armor, or their speed, so that we could at least temporaily boost their combat abilities, make them somewhat more effective -"

In the middle of the sentence, the look on Phoenix's face turned sullen. "Eh? What's wrong?" I asked, when Beacon suddenly started cackling madly.

"Alright, stop that." I shot Beacon a disgusted look, before continuing. "What's going on?" I started again, looking around the whole table, feeling somewhat out of the loop.

"You see Magician, not a lot of us can actually use magic." Siren turned to me, explaining.

Oh.

Oh, shit.

"Magic isn't exactly common here, and it takes quite a while since one's awakening to actually be able to use it. In truth, usually its only commanders or sub-commanders of fleets that can actually efficiently use it." Siren continued, even as I was busy facepalming at my own stupidity. "Its just that over here, the previous commander was trying to teach almost everyone on how to use it."

"And Leviathan was stupid enough not to teach her own replacement on how to use it." Beacon blurted out in mirth. "Ah ha ha ha ha-"

"Do you have anything to add, Beacon, or are you just going be a pile of useless shit with a mouth and constantly insult our own commander?" My head spun around, catching sight of Juri dangerously unsheathing her weapon.

"Oh? You dare challenge me? I suggest-"

"Look, can we get back to the discussion? And Beacon, could you kindly not toss out random insults at everyone?" Before anyone could answer, I snapped, "Good. I'm taking that as a 'yes', so let me kindly fucking continue."

"Back to where we are coming from. I was suggesting the use of magic to boost our airpower, but with Siren's revelation I guess that's kind off impossible at the moment. Actually, Siren, technically speaking, is it possible to teach our carriers how to use magic in any short notice?"

"It takes at least a year to be able to use magic effectively." Siren answered, shaking her head. "A few days is simply impossible." Welp.

"So, I guess we just have ro deal with it then..." I scratched the back of my head. This would mean that we would have to stick to far more defendsive tactics if we had to deploy air forces. Putting the pressure of anti-aircraft fire, ensuring that we always had superior numbers on our side...

"Infuriating. I guess we would just to have to adapt to the evolving situation on the battlefield." I sighed. "And we are back on the subject of countering the power of the 'strange' shipgirls. Juri, Yuri, do you guys have any ideas...?"

"Maybe continuing to fight them at close ranges?" Juri suggested.

I stared at her blankly. "Full on melee? That's...rather dangerous."

"But you see, attacking them at range is also just as dangerous, just that attacking at melee gives you a better chance of doing damage." Yuri pointed on.

"Ok, um, could you explain further?" I leaned in, slowly grasping my fingers over their point.

"Welll..." Juri began, "Right now, we know their guns are powerful, fast firing, and accurate to score hits at far off distances. And that one hit is powerful enough to kill a sister."

"So," Yuri picked up the conversation, "if we try hitting them from far away, most likely they would just destroy us very quickly. But, if we attack with our weapons at short ranges," she drew out her polearm to make a point, "then we can consistently hurt them. Also, when both of us fought them, we noticed that none of them were actually trained to fight like this."

"In the end, both of us believe a close quarters fight is more benefiting to us than them." Juri finished off.

I stood in silence as I pondered their words. Close range fights instead of a safer gunnery duel? Risky, but perhaps...

"Well, you are right, but wouldn't you be stuck in the middle of the enemy formation if you tried that? Besides, didn't you say that using magic was the only way of inflicting any significant damage on them?" I asked.

"We could also be supported by other units." Juri answered.

"Good point, but...that still leaves the problem of magic." A few moments of tense silence followed as I considered her words. "Arrghh...why is it that all the options available to us are all blocked off by the lack of magic?"

"As I said, sadly not everyone was capable and allowed to try using it." Siren answered me.

"Yes, yes, I know." Taking one more long sigh, I looked back at the table. "So right now, I believe that its time to discuss whether these new developments will impact our next move. Actually, before we begin, Phoenix, have you collected any data on the enemy's position?"

"I already have scouts near their position, so I believe we are ready to begin?"

"I...guess. As usual, we will wait until midnight to execute it."

"Again, how sure are you on its success?" Beacon asked, dead serious this time. "As much as we have gone over it, it still sounds incredibly dangerous, considering the circumstances.

" _Agreed. The entire success of this plan relies on my safety. I hope that you are still confident in it."_ Rally chimed in, as expected.

"I am." I answered. "One last check - how ready are the forces?"

"Ummmm...the 'mages', as you called them, are still sleeping off their tiredness. They may wake up by midnight...although I won't gamble on that!" Siren answered.

Damn. I knew that forcing a near-constant storm had its consequences on the magic-users - and I had lost that bet.

"Nevermind, looks like we can't slow the enemy then. Nevertheless, we should start preparing..."

===============

"How are the patients, doctor?"

Admiral Zhang faced the _Tsukyumori's_ head medical officer, at the main door to the on-board medical facility, his hands clasping his cap at his waist.

Doctor Sumin sighed, before responding, "They will be fine, although I believe some of them will not be fit for action anytime soon. And yes, either than the mental and nervous backlash from having her turret destroyed, 'she' is fine." The female officer flashed a knowing look.

Zhang let his shoulders droop in relief. Despite having being mapped out and almost completely explored, shipgirl biology was still as confusing as ever to the layman. Injuries inflicted on rigging often caused some 'effect' on their welders, with said effects ranging from slight concussions to being plunged into near-catatonic states.

Regardless, it was best to let them go on their work. Zhang nodded, and turned on his bootheel, while placing his cap back on his head. The armored doors whirred as they closed shut behind him.

He checked his watch. "Looks like the emergency meeting will begin soon," he muttered out loud. Changing his route, he headed straight for the _Tsukyumori's_ CIC.

As he walked, a feeling of regret and disappointment descended upon him, as he thought of his injured and deceased soldiers. If he only knew that the whole thing was a trap all along...what a fool he was, underestimating the enemy like this, he thought-

A sudden vibration shook his right arm. Raising the device right in front of him, he checked the notification.

It was a damage report on the Mark IX rigging that the leader of Phi Squadron wielded, sent by their personal maintenance engineer. Reading it, his thoughts wandered to his erstwhile companion, currently lying prone in a bed in the room he just left. Attacked by an Abyssal wielding some sort of weapon...

Speaking of which...his eyes narrowed as he thought of the enemy. Moving in concert, staging a trap that killed at least 15 and injured more...

Frustration and confusion filled up inside him. Just a week they had not mastered this kind of tactics, yet now they were demonstrating them, even if their formations were shoddy and easily out-maneuvered. It did not make sense to him, not even in the slightest.

"Admiral." Startled from his reverie, the admiral looked up to see a dark-haired, young woman saluting, at the other side of the junction he was standing at. Jae-Hee's face stared back impassionedly as she waited for his response.

"Oh, Sergeant." Zhang nodded, before recontinuing his walk. Phi Squadron's second-in-command followed behind, for she had been summoned to the CIC by himself.

Both of them walked in silence, the admiral having nothing of worth to say to Hinata's enigmatic squad- and soulmate.

Several tens of meters of corridor and a elevator ride later, both of them stood before the armored doors to the CIC, with Zhang identifying himself to the on-board security system. A glow of green light indicated the system's acceptance of his particulars, and the double doors slid open.

Inside, a smaller number of staff filled the room compared to the previous time he used it, mainly due to the fact this meeting was wrapped under a few layers of confidentiality. Papers or datapads were not scattered over the table as usual but instead obsessively arranged neatly according to their users.

And on the screen at the far side of the room, there was the window of the communications software installed. Two boxes on the left with the words 'SOUND ONLY' on them indicated the participation of the commanders of the other two battlegroups in this conference.

The rest of the screen was dominated by a live feed with a grizzled figure sitting at a desk, a cup of water at his side, with the flag of the East Asian Confederation displayed on the wall behind him.

Admiral Zhang saluted his direct superior. "First Admiral."

"Good evening, Rear Admiral." First Admiral Goto motioned for him to take a seat.

Both Zhang and Jae-Hee sat down in their chairs. Both of them sat up, backs straight as they focused on his battle-scarred, white-bearded face.

"Sergeant Kim," Goto opened up with a hoarse, yet clear voice. "Describe your encounter with the Abyssal units."

A short _ahem_ filled the room as Jae-Hee cleared her throat to begin speaking. "During the second stage of the battle, as we were beyinning our retreat, I spotted the enemy suddenly teleporting on top of a shipgirl, and eliminate her with a melee weapon."

"Hold up." Goto stopped her, and asked, "you said 'teleporting', am I right?"

"Yes." Jae-Hee replied.

"And your grounds for saying that is...?"

"The enemy suddenly appeared out of nowhere, right on top of the other shipgirl unit. Besides, there is already precedent for that - the enemy appearing out of nowhere right behind our formation at the start of the battle." Jae-Hee answered without missing a beat.

"Very well." The First Admiral's face betrayed no sign of emotion to that statement. "Then, please describe the features of that Abyssal."

"It was a humanoid Abyssal, specifically the type known as the 'Ri'-Class heavy cruiser. Other than that, she was wielding a sword similar in shape to a katana."

"I see. Continue with your description of the encounter with the Abyssal." The First Admiral leaned forward, placing his hands on the desk.

"After it made its first strike, it teleported on me. I managed to block its attack with my armor, and I got a good look at it. Afterwards, I pushed it off, then began firing at it. It teleported a few times, then my squadmate, Sergeant Chang, also began laying down fire. It then disappeared after that."

"Hmmm, I see." All of them waited with bated breath for the First Admiral's response. "Rear Admiral Zhang, didn't you say that another unit of yours had a more prolonged engagment with that kind of Abyssal?"

"Apologies, sir." Zhang bowed his head. "The shipgirl who was involved is currently incapiciated, and thus is unable to attend this meeting."

"I see." Zhang detected a tinge of sympathy in his superior's voice. At this, he stood up, quickly letting out words that he want ed to say. "With respect sir, I would like to personally apologise-"

"There's no need for that." Goto rather harshly cut off Zhang. As the relatively junior officer looked up, Goto continued gravely, "This is a completely unprecedented situation, and given the circumstances you were in, we were absolutely fortunate that we didn't lose any more units than we needed to."

Regarding his superior's words carefully, Zhang sat back down on his chair. Pulling his hankerchief out of his pocket, he wiped off the various bodily fluids on his face as calmed down.

Doing so, he cleared his throat, and told one of his staff, "Kindly give the assessment of the enemy's tactics and formation to the First Admiral."

"Yes, sir!" The younger man jumped to his feet, while bringing up a file on a datapad. "Firstly, the enemy has shown itself capable of large scale planning. It had already prepared for our arrival, and has purposely manipulated the battlefield to lure us out into the trap."

"The enemy is also capable of deploying their resources effectively, as shown by withholding their air forces and managing them, till they were able to force aircover away from our forces. As for their responsiveness to our moves, they have demonstrated it, mainly shown in the adaptiveness of their formations. Speaking of which," the officer paused for a second, "their movements are a major thing we found lacking in - mainly, they attempted to replicate human formations without much training."

"Lastly, their new capabilities. Already by the end of the recent battle, we have concluded that the enemy has shown drastic improvements in both magic and technology. From demonstrating use of crude missiles as well as being able to block our targeting solutions, all these point to a sudden increase in knowledge."

Concluding on that point, the officer closed the report, and sat back down. Silence filled the room for a few minutes.

"Admirals, " the First Admiral began slowly, "have all of you heard about the 2078 Dossier?"

"2078 Dossier?" Confusion filled the comm channels. Zhang and his staff looked at each other, questions in their minds.

"The '78 Dossier was a joint project between the EAC, EU and the NAF in 2078 to determine the level of threat and intelligence that could be displayed by the Abyssals. Basically, several military operations were launched with the goal of observing and studying Abyssal behavior, with the question on whether Abyssals were truely sentinent, and if they were, a possibility of them achieving sapience."

Silence greeted his words. "The Dossier judged that Abyssals were 'sentient', but put the possibility of them achieving sapience 'unlikely'." Goto sighed. "It now seems that this threat is far greater than we think, given your recent encounter with them."

As silence continued to persist, the First Admiral took a sip of water, before continuing. "Nevertheless, High Command has been discussing this, and I have only adjourned the meeting to give you your new orders. Rear Admirals Zhang, Sun and Mizuki," After each admiral gave their affirmations, he ordered, "Your new orders - forego capturing the Abyssal base, and use any means to destroy it. As for any problems with the enemy's pseudo-ECM, replace the missile cells with T-23 'Raiden' anti-structure missiles, and directly plot out their attack trajectories. That's all, and dismissed."


	12. Chapter 2-05 - Barraged to Death

Again, I apologise for not bringing these over sooner.

=================

It's...weird.

Being an Abyssal, I mean, even if I hadn't suffered from body diaspora or something like that. At least, over the last few days, I had checked myself to make sure I still had the important bits...and that they still worked.

But still, I haven't actually gotten to the new abilities I now owned. Especially the part that I was now...sliding? Skating? My personal repository of verbs failed me as I attempted to describe the motion I felt as I moved across the water, not moving a single limb.

The wind blew across my face, as I moved at speeds beyond what a human could actually reach. Beside me, Siren also moved at the same speeds, observing me, watching.

I looked up, and saw the impenetrable fog right in front of me. I leaned to the side, my hand touching the water, and I turned to the right, moving in a wide arc.

It would be exhilarating, but currently I was thinking of something else. Mainly the battle ahead.

We would be moving ahead, and we could pull that off...

No, I'm getting ahead of myself again.

Concentrate, concentrate...on moving.

I came back on the water, practicing how to move for one last time before we went ahead with the attack.

Ok, accelerating...I leaned forwards, my knees bending forward, and I willed myself to... **move**.

Immediately, something within me stirred, and I felt myself suddenly take on a burst of speed. Catching it, I kept a steady hold on my balance, and I easily moved ahead of Siren. Satisfied, I toned down that 'feeling' inside me, and again, I felt myself slow down, the wind dying down around me.

How did this work, anyway? What gave me the features of a ship? How did the magic work here? Was it something like mana tapped from a inner well, bent to suit the bearer, or was it more like I had the 'concept' of a ship fixed to my being, and given those features automatically by the universe?

Or more importantly, why didn't I have a set of Rigging attached to me? Is it because I was forcefully switched into a replica body, an Abyssal's body, or was it because something went wrong with that 'ritual'? Or was it because of me being a human

All really confusing, and food for thought.

"Hey!" I looked back, seeing Siren rushing foward to catch up with me. "Not bad, Magician, you seem to be learning fast."

"Ehhhh..." I put a hand behind my head, embarrased. "Well, its just learning to move. Besides," I frowned, "this is just training. No knowing what would happen in an actual battle..."

"Still, its been one week and you seem to be a natural at this." She stared up at me, grinning as usual. I shrugged.

"I don't think so...anyways, we have to go back, finalise the preparations." I turned in the direction of the base, and we moved towards it.

Silently gliding through the winds, I looked to the west. Right above the protective fog that protected the base, a beautiful orange sun descended, painting the surrounding sky red. The atmosphere was calm and serene, a complete change from the battle that preceded it.

The sun reminded me of something. _Red sky at night, shepard's delight._ It may not be night now...but it definitely fits.

Was a good omen? At that thought, I clasped my hands and muttered a short prayer.

Here stands a human clothed in monster skin, praying to a god that may not exist.

Funny how things work.

Right at the bottom of the platform that the base was on, a flurry of activity was going on. Abyssals moved around like busy worker bees, checking each other out, replenishing supplies, or simply talking among themselves.

An infectious atmosphere of eagerness had filled the air, and I felt my anticipation rise along my nervousness.

Hard not to be nervous. After all, we were going to pull off a dangerous move, directly engaging the 'base' of the enemy. Sliently contemplating that, I stepped onto the dock, ignoring my surroundings.

I continued walking, trying to hold back that feeling - and ran straight into Phoenix.

"Yipe!" I jumped back, while she looked at me with a straight expression. "Sorry, Phoenix."

"Umm." She nodded, as three figures walked up from behind her. "We are almost ready to begin."

"Ok, that's good...and how about you, Rally?" I looked over her at the middlemost figure walking towards us.

Walking into a light, I had my second good look at her humanoid form, which she had just formed out of the base itself. Her outfit was a pale-white blouse with decorative lace formed in a straight line down its middle, with a stiff collar surrounding her neck. Around her waist was a black skirt that reached to her knees, and a pair of stockings and boots adorned her legs. On her face was a crop of sliver hair that ended right above her neck, with a fiery red flower tucked in it, and under it was a face with a perpetual frown, its eyes blazing crimson. Two other Abyssals stood on both sides of her, both dressed in the same scantily-clad outfit.

Now that I had a better look at Rally, some questions came to my mind. Firstly, how the hell was her clothes so...human-like? They were Abyssals after all - did they produce their own fabric, steal it from human corpses, or did they make some sort of replacement with the black 'Abyssal' metal? Did they have any infrastructure for that sort of thing? Do Abyssals even bother about that sort of thing?

It was as mind-boggling as figuring out where they got their pen and paper from.

As I racked my minds over those questions, Rally and her posse reached us, and Phoenix stepped aside to accommodate her. "I believe you are ready by now, Magician."

I took a deep breath. "Yeah. I am." Looking at her companions, I asked, "So...those two are your choices?"

"Yes." She pointed to the two Abyssals. "They are the best submarines aboard this base, and their names are Houhui and Aohui." Both of them bowed silently as Rally spoke their names. "At least, if you mess up, I will have the confidence I will still remain safe with them."

I snorted. "If you say so..."

"Even if was very sure of your abilities, I would still have them. I do have an intention of surviving this battle, after all."

Ok, that _is_ understandable. As I went through that happy thought, Siren herself popped up in the waters next to me, dressed in full war regalia, the same old annoying-as-fuck smirk on her face.

I quickly asked a question to cut off any smug comments she might have. "Are your forces ready?"

"Wha- yes?" She answered, rather surprised.

"Ok. Phoenix, Siren, how about the 'mages'?" I turned and asked, getting nods in return.

"Well then, we can begin the moment I get back to the tower-"

Out of nowhere, a whooshing sound appeared out of nowhere. I turned, and saw a bunch of Abyssals pointing up to the sky.

An old image rose in my mind.

"Oh fuck _no._ " I dived onto the water, and moved at full speed to out of the underneath of the base.

Sure enough, where the defensive fog was supposed to be, an utterly massive hole revealing the evening sky appeared.

Shit.

 _Shit shit shit shit shit-  
_  
"What's wrong?" I turned around to see Siren coming over, followed by the rest. "What happened-oh."

"Yeah, that." I said. "Rally! Can you get your anti-missile modifications up?" I yelled, while turning around and making a mad dash for the base.

"Yes." As I passed her, I saw a look of horror on her face.

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck fffffffuuuuuuccccckkkkkk!" I snarled, as I hurried up all the way to my old perch.

=====================

"Skyclearer detonated. We have a confirmation on the enemy's base."

Admiral Zhang looked up at one of the screens on the CIC. It displayed a live feed from a drone's camera; surrounded on almost all sides by fog, the black shape of the Abyssal base, a twisted replica of the many offshore bases that were built by mankind.

All exposed and vulnerable, with the faint outlines of Abyssals moving all around.

"Time to stir up the hornet's nest." The Admiral thought as he turned his attention to the holographic tactical map displayed right in front of him. On the map, three blue holographic fleets placed near each other indicated his and the other two battlegroups' positions, while on the other sid, a fourth red outline of the enemy base marked its location. Around the base, was one half of what was a simulated red smoke that represented the 'fog' that had surrounded the enemy.

"This is Battlegroup 1, we are now launching the first test salvo of missiles." The tactical map lit up, with the hologram representing Battlegroup 1 'launching' missiles from their VLS cells.

Zhang watched carefully as the mass of missiles flew towards their target in a wide parabolic arc. He mentall y ran through the plan again; this first strike was meant to force the enemy to reveal any moves they could do to counter it.

With luck, the enemy would exhaust any options they had just to deflect this opening salvo, making them open to the next.

=============

Reaching the top of the tower, I kicked it open, looking at the screen mounted at its other end.

"Siren! Connect the screen to the airborne radar!" I yelled and thought at the same time.

 _"Got itttt!"_ Dammit, how can she still sound so optimistic at this time?

"Do you have all your stuff backed up?" I reply, while taking the time to settle back into my seat

 _"Yes!"_ As she spoke, the screen lit up, showing the familar radar screen, which now displayed 15 dots approaching from different attack vectors, all on the upper half of the screen.

Huh. Did they spread out their attacks, to reduce the effect of our missile countermeasures? Well, luckily for us, we have more than a few handful of missiles.

"Siren, can you see the radar screen?" I ask, while silently plotting out a counterattack.

"Um-hmm?" Siren replies.

"Ok, use three of the interference missiles. Fire them at equal angles from each other, at the direction where the enemy is. Also, have you located any of the enemy carriers?" I ask, biting my nails in anxiety.

 _"No. Do you want me-"  
_  
"Forget it, just get the missiles into the air!" I shout. "Beacon! Phoenix! How are the rest of the forces?"

 _"We are waiting for your command."_ Phoenix's eerily calm voice answers my question. Beacons gives no comment on my question.

"Ok, just hold position for now. Things should be going fine for now..." I say as I watch the radar display show three new blips appear and move out of the center mark, heading straight for the enemy missiles.

I hold a bated breath as I watch the missiles fly at each other.

The blips indicating our missiles disappear-

Eh?

Why aren't the enemy missiles diverging off course? "Siren?! Have you detonated our missiles?"

 _"Yes! But...but there's nothing happening!"  
_  
"Did you detonate them near the missiles?" I frantically search my brain for answers

 _"I did!"_

Dammit, then what are the missiles doing- oh _shit_.

A different tracking system, wasn't it?

Shit

shit shit shit shit-

Ok, calm down. I can handle this.

What did I put on the base again? A bunch of 'modifications', or rather a bunch of Abyssals or equipment doing a bunch of things...

Oh yeah, that.

I speak. "Siren, get the Air Defense Princess ready! We don't have any other option except to shoot the missiles down!"

 _"Ah, ok!"  
_

As each red coloured missile detonates on the holographic map, a silent cheer among the staff goes up as their side's missiles continue flying through their remains, completely undeterred by whatever effect that they had tried to inflict on them. As for Zhang, he feels some grim satisfaction as the missiles, like arrows let loose from the bow of a war goddess, streak towards their quarry

A few tense moments pass, as his personal staff watch in silence, calmly yet jubilantly updating logs and observing the situation. Meanwhile, each blue simulated missile continues on their flight path towards the enemy base.

Out of nowhere, a sudden change on the map cuts through the calm. The holographic display of the enemy base begins flashing as simulated lines of gunfire appear right above it, all aiming for one of the Raidens.

"Admiral, we have gunfire directed at the Raidens." A aide speaks, which is answered with a nod.

On the holographic map, each fast-moving blue-coloured missile disappears one by one, the leftmost ones dying first. Even as they manage to close to within a kilometer away from the base, none of them ever get to reach the enemy before vanishing in their own explosion of flame.

"What is the range of the enemy air defenses?" Zhang finally speaks after a short silence.

"Hold on sir, we are currently receiving the data from Battlegroup 1...range of enemy air defenses are estimated to be around 6.5 kilometres."

"Do we have a confirmation on the number of enemy air-defense enplacements?"

"We are currently seeing around 3-4 Abyssals managing the air defense. One of them seems to be a Princess."

"Alright. Recalibrate the Raidens to put the defending Abyssals as the main priority targets, then begin launch preparations." He opens up a communication window to the other two battlegeoups, which appears over the map as he speaks. "This is Battlegroup 2, we are ready to launch the main attack."

 _"This is Battlegroup 1, we are ready to launch."_

 _"Battlegroup 3, ready to launch."  
_  
"Understood, lets begin then." Zhang turns to his staff. "All units, begin firing!"

Around the _Tsukyumori_ , the captains of its attendants hear the call and comply. With their orders, weapons officers make one last checks on their equipments before pressing the red buttons.

Within the belly of three of the destroyers, fuels are ignited, and sliver-tipped missiles begin propelling themselves out of their launch pads and through the uncapped holes of the ships.

As they truely free themselves from their mothership's embrace, the exhaust from their engines washing and flowing across the armored decks. Rising, their metallic paint catches sunlight and reflects it across the calm surface of the sea.

Zhang watches the missiles begin following their directions from the comfort of the CIC. The holograms turn and fly as one, with a dotted line showing their flight path to the enemy.

It is calculated perfectly. 9 ships contributing 10 missiles each, makng a total of 90 missiles currently in the air, the ludicrous amount of ordinance meant to ensure the total destruction of the enemy.

Looking at the map once more, Zhang thinks back to the previous time a EAC fleet had to besiege of an Abyssal Base. According to the report, the Abyssal structure was surprisingly resilent, to the point that it was capable of shrugging off multiple direct hits from anti-structure munitions.

Given its inhabitants capabilities, it could not be allowed to continue its existence any longer

And hence, for the safety of his nation, he had to ensure that the enemy was completely, utterly obliterated.

=================

Holy...

Holy shit.

That was close.

I lean back in my chair, heaving in relief. It is only then that I realise that I'm drenched in liquid. Perhaps it is some sort of sweat?

I push aside the thought. Whatever it is, it can wait. Fuck, I nearly had my body get blown and torn apart...

I feel numb. Really numb. Is this how one feels after narrowly avoiding death?

"Ok, Rally, please activate the fog generators." I speak realising that my voice has gone hoarse. I cough, and reach for the cup of liquid placed next to me-

 _"What's going on? Are the enemy missiles still getting through?"_ Rally's voice echos in my mind, tinged with worry and irritation.

"Yes they are. As we mentioned earlier, they are using an alternate sort of tracking to target this place. Hence we need the fog to try camouflaging the area, hopefully it might continue messing up whatever attacks they have used against us." I gulp down water, all the while trying to still my rapidly beating heart.

 _"And how about the attack? Do you still plan to go ahead with it? And how?"_

"Well, if we spray the fog long enough the cloud will be thick enough for us to hide our movements." I pause for a bit. "And detonating more of the disruptor missiles around the base will completely conceal ourselves."

 _"Do you...do you plan on keeping this base alive?"_ Huh? Why is she asking this kind of question?

"What do you mean-" A scream cuts my words in half.

"Siren! What's going on? What happened?" I shout, blustering like an idiot.

 _"Look at the screen!"_ Gazing at it, I see nothing but a clear circle.

I frown, while continuing to stare at it, waiting-

And a swarm of blips appear on the edges of the circle. My eyes widen, and as I continue looking at it, another short _beep_ rings through the room, and the another ring of dots advance into view.

I yelp in shock. "What the fuck?!" I stand, disbelief filling my mind. "Siren! Are you absolutely sure that that radar is working perfectly?"

 _"Yes! And I can see more coming! 30, 40, 50.."  
_  
Holy fucking shit, how many ships do they have?

"Dammit! Siren, get more disruptors in the air, and detonate them around the base! Rally, can you tell the generators to hurry up?"

 _"O-o-kay!"_ Siren ends off with a quavering voice.

 _"The generators are already pushing their hardest. The fog will take time to spread, Magician."_

"Fine. Start shooting down the missiles. And Rally? Prepare to leave."

 _"Acknowledged."_ I hear rapid gunfire outside, the continuous _brraaaccckk_ of automatic cannon spewing shells and flak into the sky.

I look at the radar screen. It is still displaying a swarm of dots edging in closer and closer towards the middle of the screen, the centre of the cross that was the base. As I look, two of the dots disappear.

...

Dammit, would they be faster? Those things are getting closer and closer, and we aren't doing anything to them!

...uh oh.

The dots are now all bunched up in a closed semicircle, barely any holes in their ranks. A _beep_ echos round the room, and the missiles edge in closer.

We aren't doing anything.

I _can't_ do anything.

...I'm going to die.

I'M GOING TO DIE!

"Ah...ahahaha..." Something escapes from my lips, but I remain frozen to my spot.

 _"Magician! The missiles are reaching you already, get down here!"_

Thats right. Run.

 _Run for it!_

I dash for the door, opening it, and looking at the stairs below. Taking the steps two at a time, some part of me hopes that I can reach the fleet befor fire claims me.

Numbly, my head tells me that the gunfire outside has stopped-

 _"Brace for impact!"_

 _Oh no-_

================

The missiles streaked in, plunging through the thick fog and ignoring it completely.

With their commands locked in, each of them armed electronic fuses for all of their explosives, preparing for their inevitable impact.

The first set of missiles, launched before the others, aimed straight for the base's deck, hitting it at a large acute angle. Slamming into the deck, tubes of high explosives contained within the first volley, sending massive shockwaves through it, causing massive cracks to appear as multiple shockwaves rushed through its structure. The buildings built on it shook and wavered under the pounding, with some of them crashing down, screaming with the voices of their unfortunate occupants. The command tower itself fell over the side, falling through empty air before splashing into the water.

The second volley went straight for the base's foundations, aiming for the six massive pillars that held the base aloft. As the missiles flew like hungry sharks aiming for their prey, the Abyssal Fleet that had just pulled away watched with terror as each missile either detonated midair and sent superheated shrapnel at the pillars, or buried themselves in the pillars before detonating. The pillars stood steadfast, weathering the attacks, but soon they faltered and cracked, the metal snapping and twisting before collapsing. Shrieks came from the base when it began to tilt as two of the front pillars fell, and rubble went tumbling across its deck and into the oceans.

Wounded, burning and on its knees, the base had no more defenses against the final blow.

The final set of missiles hit it directly, tearing apart what was left of the base, deck, buildings and all.

As it finally spilt apart, large flaming bits and pieces of rubble started crumbling, falling and sinking into the sea, leaving a hollow pile of remains behind.

===============

Back in the _Tsukyumori'_ s CIC, a live feed of a massive cloud of fog was currently displayed on the screen. The image then zoomed in, magnifying the area above the fog, where a plume of smoke billowed out from.

On three separate seats, three Rear Admirals frowned as they studied their screens.

"It appears that we have a problem." Zhang spoke.

"That is rather obvious." Battlegroup 1's Admiral replied, also with a look of annoyance on his face. "Those monsters just couldn't roll over and die, right? Just had to spray a large mass of fog all around their graves..." Following this statement came a snort from Battlegroup 3's Admiral.

Zhang thought for a bit. _With the current situation, we can't be sure that the enemy is truly dead or neutralised. With that, mop-up operations will certainly take a lot longer to complete. And we don't have a lot of Skyclearer missiles left...and that fog looks like it will take a ton of them to do the job._

"We can't hope to expand the rest of the Skyclearers just to reveal the enemy base...how about alongside the current plans, we have shipgirls equip personal Skyclearer packs, and just expand two or three missiles when we get close to investigating the enemy base?" Zhang placed a suggestions for his fellow commanding officers.

On the communication feed, both of them nodded in silent agreement, and the three of them began sending down orders to their respective fleets.

Meanwhile, on the screen, smoke continued to rise undisturbed.


	13. Chapter 2-06 - Revival & Return

_blop blop blop  
_  
I'm...sinking.

I'm under the ocean...or something.

The water...it pushes down on me, and surrounds me on all sides. Its also really beautiful, the rippling waters as clear as glass, stained red by dying sunlight...

It feels...comfortable, like a soft, feathery bed that's nice to snuggle in...

Wait.

Something's not right. Why am I in the ocean?

What happened to me again?

Why am I here - oh, that's right.

I just got blown off, didn't I? Hence I am currently...sinking...ah.

I look around me, and the first thing I see, is a wisp of black liquid leaking from my body...thats right, I must have been hit by some shrapnel...

A shape passes by me, and I tilt my head -feeling some pain in my neck as I do so - and I spy wreckage, in the shape of a smashed silo falling by me, bubbles forming quickly on its surface and floating away.

All around it are the lifeless forms of other Abyssals, leaking black fluid and bubbles as they fall.

Heh, heh...

So this is how I die, huh? Losing the battle, and then just sinking to he abyss of the ocean, alone?

I can't even feel scared...just...resigned.

...

What am I doing?

There...arrgh, this fucking hurts! Dammit, I can't fucking die! Just like that? Brought here by some fucker, used as some sort of tool and then what?

Well, fuck you, whoever you are! I'm still human, so I have some of my body functions left, and I can swim up!

I tilt myself back upright, and begin grasping at the water, recalling swimming skills long forgotten.

Push, pull, push, pull...

I resist the pull of the depths, desperately crawling through the water, pulling myself upwards to escape the grasp of the bony hands of death.

Come on! Come fucking on!

=================

 _Ho ho._

 _At least you have_ that.

 _Well, you have satisfied my criteria...fine, I shall spare you. And maybe give you a little gift...my chosen admiral.  
_

Siren-Of-Knowledge stared at the surface of the oceans, that were littered with pieces of wreckage from the base. She had barely managed to escape it before the missiles had hit, and was now frantically looking for Magician, who had not been as lucky.

She scanned the waters again, desperately using her mind to locate him, but frustratingly found no sign of him. Gritting her teeth, she concentrated even harder, slapping her tail in frustration -

Only to see a staff placed in front of her. "Any sign of Magician?" Giant-Phoenix-That-Watches asked her. Behind her, stood Beacon-Of-Pride-And-Power as well as Rally-Of-The-Needed.

"No." Siren hung her head sadly, her grin long gone, as if it was lost in the fog.

"Well," Beacon began, irritation in her voice. "He's gone. Now," It became dangerously stern, similar to the growls of a monster that had just lost its prey. "What do we do, now that the idiot is dead, and the humans may come? Not to mention that he has perhaps let us get caught by the humans?"

"What do you suggest we do then, Beacon?" Phoenix silently turned to face her counterpart, speaking softly as she moved. At the same time, Juri and Yuri popped into existence, landing on either side of Phoenix, watching Beacon closely.

"What do we do? Simple, we retreat." Beacon folded her arms, staring back at the trio.

Narrowing her eyes, Phoenix asked, "What do you mean?"

Gesturing with her hands, Beacon made her stance clear. "Look where we are now! Magician has sunk, and right now your base is nothing more than a pile of rubble. He couldn't defend the base, and what can we do to the enemy -"

Phoenix cut her off. "We have a _plan_ , that we meant to stick to. Right now, even if Magician is with the Abyss, we have to stick to it, so that we can stop the humans here, stopping them from going even further into our territory-"

"And what guarantee do you have that we _can_ pull it off? That plan was Magician's and look! Now we are stuck with the remains of his 'defense'; do you expect me to keep throwing my best warriors at the humans, letting them sink for no reason?" Beacon raged at Phoenix, her eyes bulging out with frustration clear in them.

Phoenix thought for a bit. Indeed, Beacon had a point. "Then what, do _you_ , suggest?"

"We need to retreat. Right here, we have no hope at all of engaging the humans right here, right now. If we retreat, we can call on other groups to join up, and then we can battle them on our own terms, to our advantage!"

"Oh, and my sacrifice go to waste?" Rally spoke up, her eyes smouldering in anger. "We arranged to have the enemy stopped here, and I committed my base to that end. Do you plan on paying me back?" As she spoke, the rest of the Abyssals started forming a group around the leaders.

"Like I care about your base. I care only about stopping the humans." Beacon spun around, spitting venom at Rally.

"Coward." Rally hissed back.

As their bickering occurred, A tap on the shoulder made Phoenix turn around, seeing Siren walk up to her. "Actually...Magician said that it was possible that the human warships and their shipgirls are able to cruise much faster than us...I think even if we started a retreat now, the chances that the humans, with their enhanced radar, would be able to find us and catch up with us in no time."

Phoenix nodded as she got the message. Turning back to the argument, she announced, "And Beacon, what guarantee do you have that we will be able to retreat? Magician already has stated that the human shipgirls, and their ships, are capable of moving faster than us. So," She swung her right arm up, pointing the other end of her staff at Beacon, "What plan do you have in getting away? Or I will not let _my_ own warriors carry out _your_ idea."

"Your - or _Magician's_ idea - is already terrible. Besides," Beacon pointed her own accusatory finger at Phoenix, "How can I believe that whelp's words are accurate, given that he nearly doomed us all-"

" _Oh wow,_ whatever I said is now all complete bullshit, eh?" A voice with barely-contained anger in it appeared, and a soaking wet Magician pushed his way into the circle, his glasses placed haphazardly on his nose, with a really pissed-off expression underneath. Meanwhile, Phoenix and the rest of the leaders stared in stunned silence.

"How did you..." Siren began.

"I don't fucking know, okay?!" Magician snapped like a wounded beast, causing Siren to recoil slightly. Realizing his mistake, Magician took a deep breath, before continuing. "Look, I really don't know...one moment I was under the stupid ocean, the next moment, I was burning like mad, and then I was back on the surface, now with some sort of...sword next to me." He pointed to a scabbard mounted on his belt, which had an ornate black handle on it.

"In other words, some magic just... _happened_ to me, even when I was about to die." Finishing that, his hands dropped to the side, before he swung around and faced Beacon. "And fuck you. I provided every single information I had for this battle, and now you diss me, calling me inaccurate?"

"You lost this battle." Beacon stared back, her menacing eyes daring Magician to continue.

"Screw you, asshole. Who knows more about the humans; you or me?!" He jabbed his own chest with his right hand, emphasising his point. "Besides, I stayed around and got my fucking ass blown into the ocean just to help you, and still you mock me, even if your plan is even more stupid and ridiculous than mine?!"

"And how is my plan ridiculous? Your plan consists of launching an assault on the enemy, even when they have a better advantage over us!" Beacon countered, fiercely.

"Than why did you even accept it in the first place, eh? Besides, even if we didn't go ahead, like I say, the humans will still catch up with us quickly, and I have no doubts that we would be cut down like helpless babies if we let them have the attacking advantage. For goodness sake, you of all people _can_ see this, right?" Magician snapped back fiercely, one hand on the scabbard on his belt.

Both of them stared at each other, seething. Finally Beacon stepped back. "Fine...I concede...but you better succeed, or I will make sure you wish you had sunk just now." Beacon turned around, moving away. The argument over, the Abyssals dispersed to their original fleets. Magician stared at Beacon's retreating back for awhile, before turning around to face Phoenix.

Phoenix looked at him intently. "You are upset."

"Yeah I am..." Magician took off his glasses, and rubbed his face in irritation. "I just nearly died...and it just frustrates me..."

"What frustrates you?"

"Its...never mind, I can explain later." Brushing her off, he turned to Siren. "Siren, could you get a few teams and begin searching for anything we can salvage from the base? Resources, any remaining missiles, especially from the remaining missile platforms-"

"I think I can handle that." Behind Magician, walked up Rally, Juri and Yuri. "I can search for those things you need." Rally placed a hand on her chest to indicate herself.

"Oh...thanks." Magician took another deep breath, steadying himself. "I guess...its time we began our counterattack."

==================

The waters are pitch black, with nothing illuminating them but the light of the full moon hanging in the sky.

And the lights of the EACS _Yu Huang_ and its attendant destroyers.

The carrier was silent, its engines idling, and the bulkheads on either sides of its hull were open; waiting to service the groups of shipgirls currently patrolling the waters around it. The magic-detecting radar of the _Yu Huang_ swept over its proclaimed territory, a circle with a radius several kilometers long. Weapons officers aboard the ships had their weapons primed, coordinating their data, ready to engage anything that dared enter that space or order the nearest shipgirls into defendsive positions.

Every since the destruction of the Abyssal base, all efforts to locate the remaining enemies had failed - the search team sent to investigate the massive cloud of fog had only found more of it and a pile of empty rubble - one that had too few corpses to indicate that the enemy had been completely destroyed.

Which meant that they had managed to escape...either getting to the nearest Abyssal bases, or perhaps preparing to mount another assault on them.

In response, half of the combined detachment of shipgirls had been sortied to pursure, and to prepare for the possibility of another attack, while the remainder escorted the battlegroup in case of attack, with the destroyers pinging active sonar to search for sneak attacks.

The waters and sky were calm, whereas uneasiness filled every crewman on the warships.

=============

Rear Admiral Mizuki was tired.

He'd had no doubts that that was going to occur. Ever since the missile strike had shown inconclusive results, he knew that it was going to be a long night, doing the dull but fiercely important of finding and finishing off the enemy - _before_ they managed to get off one last attack.

Given that he didn't partake in the life-extension treatments that were offered by the EAC Navy, meaning that as a man approaching 60, he was truly old.

A beep from the gauntlet attached to his arm informed him that it was exactly midnight in the local time zone. Rubbing his eyes, his left hand automatically reached for a cup of coffee strategically placed next to him.

Sipping his drink silently, he savoured the taste of a freshly brewed cup of coffee before turning back to watching the tactical map. The joys of modern technology, allowing anyone to enjoy coffee that as if came from the well practised hands of a barista, anytime and anywhere.

Despite feeling a little more perked up, his mind could not help but think of his current deployment. Just one last mission, right before High Command would allow him to return to Nagasaki and enjoy the serenity of life for the rest of his days, alongside with his wife.

He found himself thinking of his family, his children, his wife, and the times he spent with them.

 _Ahhhhhhhh..._ His mind began to shift, and wandered to an old memory.

He recalled standing right in front of a large entrance to a amusement park, his hands clasped by two other small ones.

 _Hmmmm...yes. That I remember. When the reconstruction of Disneyland was complete after the Abyssal attacks...me and Shizuka took the children to visit it...that was one of my off days, when I was still a Captain...the atmosphere, the shining sun..._

 _The happiness.  
_  
He could see it as clear as day. The cries of his children as they pulled him foward in eagerness, his wife smiling in amusement, he finally giving in and running ahead with his children, grabbing his son and placing him on his shoulders and rushing forward happily, trying to savor the days he could be with his family during the terror of the 3rd Wave.

 _A day of joy in such dark times,_ he thought.

He sighed. _Sooner or later I am going home. My children are going to finish their university education, I'm going to be with my wife, and we can be as one happy family. Till the end._

 _As long as I survive this.  
_  
He smiled and returned to reality. Glancing back to the tactical map, he noted that-

 _"Daddy! Come ride with us!" His daughter cried-  
_  
-there was no change in the-

 _-"Mummy! Help Daddy climb into the seat!" Constant laughter assaulted him-  
_  
Admiral Mizuki frowned. The vision was still plaguing him. _Am I really becoming old?_ He wondered to himself-

 _-soft hands pushed him into the seat, while their owner giggled as she followed him in-  
_  
Mizuki tapped himself irritably. He wanted to concentrate on his task, wanted to continue the watch, but his memories were not letting him go-

 _Clang.  
_  
A small tremor traveled through the ship, jolting the good Admiral out of his reverie. As his senses returned to him, he felt the voices of his past filter away, their sounds becoming like the whispers of an ominous wind. He shook his head, trying to restore the rest of his consciousness.

 _What was that?_ He checked the tactical map, which had-

-a yellow dot that signified an unidentified contact, right under the hologram of the _Yu Huang.  
_  
He stared at it for a few seconds, not believing the map. _What- how - how did it get there without us noticing.  
_  
"Lieutanant-" he began, only to notice that his command staff were also just coming out of a stupor, like they had just been released from a long dream. Men and women lifted themselves off their consoles and stations, each of them confused to what they were doing.

Mizuki swallowed hard. _What in the world just happened?  
_  
For the first time in his many years of service, he felt a chill of uncertainty breeze through him. Attempting to restore order, he called out and ordered, "All of you, status report! What happened? What is the contact right under us-"

A hard thudding noise resounded from the double doors to the CIC, and everyone turned to look at it.

Followed by another.

And another.

And silence.

Nobody moved a single inch as they stared at the doors.

Finally an officer spoke, "What the fuc-"

With one loud bang, the security mechanisms on the doors failed, and they fell apart. In their wake followed a black, flowing viscous mess shaped in the form of several tentacles. It stood there, waiting.

For a moment.

The tentacles sprang with lethal speed, four of them spearing two hapless crew with one deft stroke. Any courage the crew had failed when they saw the monstrosity, and when it attacked they fled like headless chickens, but only managing to get further into the room. Meanwhile, the mess pushed deeper into the room, blocking any sound or light from escaping the CIC.

When the staff retreated, some of them, including the admiral, quickly picked up some emergency weapons placed in the room, screaming as they fired rounds of various calibers at the creature, with barely any effect on it. The mess closed in on the humans, ignoring their pitiful attempts at resistance.

Another crew member made a mad dash for the intercom, only to find himself bisected in half by the deft swipe of a tentacle.

The monster made no move, instead sightlessly observing each of them. Suddenly, two tentacles reached out and grabbed Mizuki with terrifying speed.

As Mizuki struggled within his bonds, the last thing he saw, before being consumed by the creature was the rest of his staff being eviscerated by the monster.

====================

 _"I have seized the Admiral, and I'm moving on to the bridge."  
_  
I swallowed hard. Ok, decapitation strike complete, time to attack.

 _You just killed a whole bunch of defenseless humans.  
_  
Dammit.

There's a strange feeling in my gut. Is it fear? Nervousness? Or...guilt?

 _You just-  
_  
Stop.

 _-Killed-  
_  
I push my conscience as far as I can from my mind. The blood is on my hands but its not my fault.

Not. My. Fault.

...

I take a deep breath, and I swing my sword arm forward.

"Alright. Phoenix? Beacon?" Affrimations answer me across the seas.

"Ready on my mark." I whisper with my mind. I close my eyes, marshaling my pitiful abilities to steel myself.

"3...2...1...ATTACK!"

==================


	14. Chapter 2-07 - Assault & Capture

================

"ATTACK!"

With that order, the Abyssal commanders began their assault.

=================

Siren-Of-Knowledge grinned as she began her work. Lifting up her hands, she released a spell that she had been holding for a long while.

On both sides of her, four shapes emerged from the ocean, seawater spilling from them as they rose.

Each of them was a floating platform, all in the shape of a rectangle. On their decks were two Abyssals apiece, both manning a missile launch rail that was salvaged from the wreck of the base, as well as a set of missiles placed beside them.

The grin still on her face, Siren pointed into the sky and yelled, "Fire!"

The Abyssals ignited the engines of the missiles, heat and sparks spraying out as they were locked in a firing position. Moments later the missiles were released, and one by one they climbed into the sky.

As they flew, the human warships activated their point-defense systems, sending laser beams and autocannon shells into the sky as they tried to shoot down those missiles.

In response to the resistance, an electric-blue sheath appeared around the missiles, shielding them from the point defense systems. Despite this, flames appeared on three of the missiles as their defenses were overloaded, and soon they crashed into the sea short of their target.

But one was enough.

Flying into the middle of the enemy formation, it detonated, spreading its disruptive, magical chaff everywhere. Moments later, the sensor suites on the human warships went absolutely haywire - false contacts appeared everywhere on their tactical maps, targeting systems failed to ascertain their targets, and operators went mad trying to decipher their readings.

The deed done, Siren looked back at her operators and saw they had collapsed from the stress of keeping the shields up and active.

Quietly, she gestured to a second set of Abyssals, who took up the slack and began loading another set of missiles.

This time with live ammunition.

===============

Beacon-Of-Pride-And-Power began setting up her assault as soon as their cover had been dropped.

Instead of immediately signalling to attack, she instead called four attendants to her side, who stood on all four sides of her.

Without a word, she shook her arms, closed her arms and raised them to her sides.

And she and her attendants began to sing.

The words they sang were of no single language; they were more like a set of various ones compressed into singular phrases. They had no meaning, instead aiding the in the shaping of the song -or spell.

The tune they sang was slow, with an unreal gracefulness, as if it was just a prologue to a fiercer, more powerful movement.

As she weaved the song together, a power built up within Beacon, an energy that was hot and powerful, one that was straining to get out. Her eyes gained a golden glow, and her body shimmered yellow with the aura of the energy contained. She felt it claw at her, and she smiled, knowing it was almost ready.

After several more seconds of song, she sang the final phrase, setting the spell's target and objective. Finally, she spoke the final chord, activating the spell, and releasing the energy stored within her.

A massive circle of yellow light formed around the Abyssal fleet, illuminating the ocean. Within the circle, a small yellow marker formed right above their heads.

The ring of light disappeared, and tendrils of energy shot out from Beacon's body towards each Abyssal. As the light touched them, they jerked backwards, some in shock, others relishing in the blessing of their commander.

When the energy entered their bodies, it began its work; boosting the strength of the Abyssals, increasing the firepower of their weapons, or simply creating shields for their bearers.

When the process was done, Beacon began a second song; this time one that was faster, with a sharper edge to its tune. As she sang, her mind sent out an order to her battlegroups:

"Attack."

The assault force immediately rushed ahead in multiple groups - each of them consisting of two destroyers, two cruisers and one battleships - or some variant thereof - that attacked from multiple sides.

As they advanced forward, all of them looked like wraiths, rushing to claim the souls of their enemies.

Meanwhile, Beacon's second spell activated - she started shunting the magical energy to different parts of the Abyssals - increasing the strength of the shields, or pushing energy to their speed.

As she went about her work, Beacon smiled to herself.

 _The massacre has only just began._

==============

Giant-Phoenix-That-Watches pushed herself upwards with her staff, looking rather irritated. Around her, her forces also tried to regain their bearings, still feeling the shock from Beacon's massive power boost.

 _Beacon said it would hurt...but this..._ True to her word, Beacon had indeed also 'boosted' Phoenix's forces, but it did not change the fact that it took a while to get used to.

Instead of brooding on the issue, Phoenix also went to work. Slamming her staff onto the water's surface, she commanded her forces to act.

The first to begin were Leviathan's old charges, the 'weather mages', to use Magician's new name for them. While they had been exhausted over hampering the humans' progress towards their home, they still wanted to fight, and Phoenix obliged them.

With Beacon's power boost, they regained the energy to do so. As one, the mages raised their hands, and began casting a spell.

Out of nowhere, a storm broke over the enemy fleet. Clouds appeared out of nowhere, suddenly pouring rain on ship and shipgirl alike. As lightning flashed, hitting a conductor on the ships, a great wind sprang to life, blowing straight into their hulls, buffeting their occupants, blowing them around like hapless twigs. The waters themselves began to churn, making it harder for the human battlegroup to keep themselves steady.

Phoenix frowned a little, and sent a message to the mages. "Lighten up the storm. If it gets to much our forces will have a hard time attacking."

"Besides, we want those hulls."

The mages obliged, and the winds died down a little, but the storm itself remained. Watching the carnage from the eyes of one of her scout planes, Phoenix felt satisfied.

 _"Commander, what about us?"_ A message from one of the members of her personal division came in. _"Shall we use our minds to break them, or shall we use our aircraft?"  
_  
Phoenix pondered over it for while, before passing on the question to an oddly silent Magician.

 _"Ah, errrr..."_ Silence hovered for a few moments, before Magician replied, no small amount of apprehension inside his answer. _"Use your minds, because, erm, it would be less damaging to our targets."_

The order was relayed through, and the carriers obliged. Suddenly, a scream and a snap was heard through the network, the sound of a shipgirl who had her mind broken by the attacks of the Abyssals. The victim stumbled in front of her charges, turning mad in full view of her comrades

As the target began to gibber, going berserk as her mind tore itself apart, Phoenix heard Magician's grimace, before he disconnected from the network.

=======================

Battlegroup Two of the EAC's 4th Naval Fleet was in complete disarray.

The moment their commanding officer and his staff had been captured right under their noses, they lost their ability to fight back against the Abyssal attack.

To make matters worse, the Abyssals had managed to detonate their pseudo-ECM weapon right above the battlegroup, cutting off their eyes and ears on the enemy.

Despite these disadvantages, the remaining officers had tried their best to prepare. The railgun turrets aboard the ships swiveled around and began lining up their targets while shipgirls were quickly redeployed to the left flank of the battlegroup. The ships themselves began maneuvering, attempting to aim their bows at the enemy.

But it was not enough - shipgirls received conflicting orders on where to position themselves, while the formations of the warships broke apart in frantic turning and the lack of any coordination.

And the Abyssals opened their newly-gained bag of tricks.

As the captain of the EACS _Yu Huang_ tried to perform his new duty of Acting Admiral, a black tentacle suddenly grabbed him where he was standing and dragged him screaming out of the bridge.

Before the bridge crew could respond, yet more tentacles forced themselves through the door, attacking them. The helmsman was stabbed multiple times and thrown across the room, while the weapons and communications officers were sliced in half.

The butchery continued across the ship. The tentacles grabbed anyone who wore a jumpsuit and tied them up before throwing them into separate rooms, unconscious, while those who were wearing uniforms, or simply not holding any tools or devices were slain on the spot, or unceremoniously tossed overboard. In the deployment bays, a group of shipgirls who were preparing to deploy were caught with their metaphorical pants down, and quickly dealt with.

Rally-Of-The-Needed, grabbing hold of the bottom of the _Yu Huang_ 's hull, began making the ship hers.

Meanwhile, on the surface and facing the enemy fleet, the shipgirls tried to get into position in a bold attempt to stop the enemy, lining up in groups and by squadron.

A storm came out of nowhere, rain and wind buffeting the shipgirls. Used to all-weather combat, the shipgirls pressed on, but the strong winds and lightning further disrupted their formations. Static filled their ears as the magical storm began to interfere with their personal radios and communication devices.

Suddenly, one of the battleships stopped firing and clutched her head, beginning to shake on the spot and muttering all the while. As her squadmates approached her in confusion, she let out a blood-curdling wail, then collapsed to her knees, gibbering away in broken sounds and whimpers, her mind broken beyond measure.

While medics and officers attempted to deal with the situation, a missile destroyer began screeching like a banshee, causing those in her communication channel to wince and falter in their defense. Suddenly the same shipgirl stopped shrieking and, laughing madly like a hyena, released her entire payload of missiles at her own squadron, causing screams and explosions to shake the shipgirls even further.

The unrelenting psychic attacks, the confusion among the ranks, and the storm itself finally broke themselves. Some shipgirls, veterans and rookies alike, began retreating further and further. Squad leaders screamed for permission to break ranks and retreat, while others broke down on the spot in fear.

It was this discoherent, weakened force that the Abyssal main line came into contact with.

The Abyssals kept their guns cold at long range to avoid hitting the human warships, but as they closed, they could finally hit their targets accurately.

Black and twisted gun barrels tilted downwards, stopping parallel to the water's surface, and fired.

Shipgirls twisted as shells slammed into them and detonated, wincing in pain as they did so. A unlucky few had armor-piercing shells penetrate their citadels, and they vanished in screaming plumes of smoke and fire.

For their part, the human forces tried valiantly to fight back. The shipgirls fired their weapons desperately, while the warships tried to dent the enemy battle line with their railguns, blue plasma streaking past or into Abyssals.

But it was all for naught - the human attacks were like pebbles hitting the surface of a tsunami. Too disorganised, few and weak, the shots did nothing to slow the Abyssal charge. Soon the two forces were barely several metres apart, and the Abyssals went in for the kill.

Now in melee range, the Abyssals tore apart the human forces with impunity. Two Abyssals jumped on a battleship, using their enhanced armor to absorb the battleship's shots. Grabbing the shipgirl, the two Abyssals proceeded to stab her with their sharpened claws. When two shipgirl cruisers came to assist, two more Abyssals appeared, smashing a large piece of scrap metal into them.

A squadron of missile destroyers that stood at the back providing supporting fire suddenly found themselves beset by another Abyssal wielding a large sword. Teleporting from side to side, Juri evaded their attempts to get a lock on her, before slicing them apart with her katana. Several meters away, Yuri did the same to another group of defenseless shipgirls.

Barely a few minutes in, most of the shipgirls had been killed or were attempting to escape. With the main force gone, the destroyers were now defenseless. While a number of Abyssals continued to mop up the remaining shipgirls, most of the Abyssals turned their attention to them.

Under the cover of the storm, the Abyssals began to board the ships. Even when the warships gunned their engines, attempting to escape, the Abyssals simply latched onto their hulls, clawing their way upwards with little difficulty. A few simply grabbed hold of Juri or Yuri and teleported aboard the vessels.

On the decks, the crewmen barred the doors, attempting to prevent the Abyssals from gaining entry, but the Abyssals simply tore them open with their superior strength, forcing their way inside. Sailors tried to hold them off with small arms, firing madly, only for the creatures to shrug off their attempts and rend them apart with their claws.

Carving through the halls, the Abyssals painted the walls with human blood and gore, screeching all the way.

================

"Have we regained contact with Battlegroup Two?"

"No contact from them sir. We have raised them quite a few times, but we still aren't receiving any response."

Rear Admiral Zhang bit on his lips. A few hours ago there had been several garbled transmissions from the various ships of Battlegroup Two, all screaming about coming under attack from Abyssals. Then suddenly a massive storm had risen over the ships, and all radio signals from them had abruptly and ominously cut off.

Even now as they directed their attention towards the position of Battlegroup Two, there was still no sign on what was happening. Transponder signals from the ships still confirmed that they were there, but they were stationary and haphazardly positioned.

The remaining human battlegroups had already recalled their forces, and a detachment of shipgirls were cautiously advancing towards Battlegroup Two, on alert for possible Abyssal ambushes. It was blatantly obvious that the monsters were present - the pseudo-magical ECM was present again.

 _What the hell was going on?_ Zhang wondered, while his staff whispered nervously among themselves. The storm had already died down, so there was no reason for Mizuki's command to not contact them. The ships themselves had not sunk yet, which would indicate that there was some human presence left-

Suddenly, on the tactical map, one of Battlegroup Two's destroyers began to move.

"Sir! Movement detected from _Hakuryu_!"

A second one followed, trailing its sister.

"Movement detected from _Soryuu_!"

"Sir! Both ships are ignoring our hails!"

On the tactical map, the entire battlegroup started moving, forming a straight line, with the _Yu Huang_ taking up the back. As the staff watched, the battlegroup moved north-east, away from any human forces

Aiming for what would be Abyssal territory.

While the staff stared in shock, Rear Admiral Zhang quietly considered the possibilities, evaluating them one by one. Finally, he came to a very unwelcome conclusion. Stumbling into his chair, he ran through his calculations again, trying not to believe it, hoping it wasn't true.

Finally, he came to a snap decision. "Get me a line to Rear Admiral Sun."

Zhang spoke as Sun appeared on the screen. "Sun, given what we are seeing now, I believe that Battlegroup Two is now under Abyssal control."

As both Admirals' staffs stared at him in stunned confusion, Rear Admiral Sun simply asked, "Are you sure?"

"I am! Battlegroup Two is currently heading for Abyssal territory at full speed and are ignoring our attempts to raise them. Given this sudden change in behavior, I am very positive that the Abyssals are currently in control of those ships." Zhang said in a tone both firm and fierce.

"Are you sure about this? Perhaps we should contact High Command first-"

Zhang cut him off. "Dammit, Sun, we don't have time! We've just seen Abyssals capable of using strategy, it's not impossible they're capable of boarding actions too! If we contact high command now, we are ensuring they get to retreat with some of our high-end technology! In fact, this scenario is exactly what the First Admiral warned us about!"

Sun gazed at Zhang for a few moments before replying. "You have a point. So an immediate missile strike on Battlegroup Two's ships?"

"Yes." Anger seeped into him. "Mizuki and his crew are probably dead at this point, the fuckers..."

"Alright." The connection was disconnected, and Zhang issued his next set of orders.

"All units! In light of recent events, Battlegroup Two is to be designated hostile and under the control of the enemy! All destroyers, target Battlegroup Two and fire at will! Shipgirl divisions are to chase down Battlegroup Two and destroy it!"

==========================


	15. Chapter 2-08 - Grand Theft Warship

==========

The bridge of this ship...what was it called?

I ran over back to one of the consoles...EACS _Yu Huang_? Jade Emperor? Is this a Chinese ship? What did the prefix even mean?

Funnily enough, I actually had never been on the deck of a military warship before, even as some sort of 'naval enthusiast'. I should have actually bothered to go to a Navy open house when it happened...

Right now, walking across it - while trying to avoid staring at some of the very conspicuous bloodstains splattered randomly across the walls - a strange combination of familiarity and awe touched me. The bridge was pretty much the first... _human_ thing I had seen in days, with all the designs, the lights and colours...even if it looked uncannily futuristic.

Speaking of futuristic...I took another look at all the holographic map, the consoles, and every piece of advanced technology that was in the room. It was...amazing. Seeing the fruits of humanity's advancement in the war against my current allies, all in this massive room...it was a sight to behold.

All in my hands...

How many people died here though? Killed by Rally, at my command? I'm being a thief, a murderer of my own species -

"Magician, do you think that we have lost them?"

I spin around, watching Phoenix walking towards me. "Um...hang on a bit..."

I ran over to the massive holographic map in the middle of the room. I had tried to create contingency plans in case we ran into problems taking over the ships or if they had safeguards in place to keep us from operating the vessels

Thankfully, since we captured the ship while their crews were still operating them, there was no safeguards facing us - at least for now; I saw quite a few bio-metric scanners installed around the ship, but the problem was operating the equipment;I didn't exactly find any manuals on the bridge.

Not that I should have expected to. I mean, military personnel had training to use these systems, they wouldn't need any frakking manual in combat. Perhaps searching the bunks would be a better prospect... At least the Abyssals had a clue about driving a boat; a few had comfortably settled into the role, although stuff like radar or the goddamned weapons systems was completely out of their league.

Maybe I could just rip the information out of the Admiral we captured with a psychic mage - gah, don't think about that!

I pounded my head a few times, trying to banish the echo of a certain blood-curdling scream from my head.

"Magician?" Oh right, Phoenix is talking to me...

"Sorry, its nothing." I hurriedly assured her, before turning my attention back to the console.

Right, this damned thing. I spent quite a while messing with it while Siren was trying to get this...carrier moving again. Actually, now I think about it, this ship is rather weirdly designed - dammit, focus!

As far as I knew, it was pretty much a tactical map for the moment. There could be some other features, but I definitely haven't discovered them yet. Placing my hands on the map, I played with some of its features. 'Pulling' the map with my hand, not unlike how one would move the map in an RTS, would 'move' the 'camera' to other parts of it. Units were displayed as holograms, and each of them had a small label stating their specifications. After moving it to show the captured ships, I tapped one of their holograms, and the label opened up, showing a couple of different options, which I hesitated to touch.

Taking a small breath, I tried to concentrate on the job. Placing my hands on the map, I sharply moved them closer, 'zooming' out of the map, revealing a greater portion of the 'world', along with the other human warships and shipgirls. As I watched, the labels on the units changed, dots and units merged together, forming new units or squadrons.

Their markers were still coloured blue, just like the captured ships, which meant that they haven't declared us hostile, or...?

Shrugging, I tapped on the icon which represented the _Yu Huang,_ then dragged out my finger, causing a circle to expand out from the icon. Right next to the circle, a label displayed the distance between the circle's edge and the ship. When I dragged it to the point of the nearest human battlegroup, I released it. Twenty kilometres, eleven nautical miles.

"Not by a long shot." I muttered. "Either we have to get out of weapon's range, or into your own territory - that is, your 'fog'." I looked out the window, but only saw pitch-black darkness and the moon overhead.

I collapsed on a seat near one of the command consoles. This was going to be one hell of night, even if we actually made it to Abyssal territory before the human forces caught us.

"Hey, Juri, are you sure you have that throttle at one-hundred percent?" I asked, after some thought.

"Yes." I stared over at her, standing at the helmsman's spot, holding the steering wheel with both hands. Siren had picked her to do the piloting, and as far as I knew?, she was doing a brilliant job. The same could be said for all the Abyssals, who had settled comfortably enough onto the ships. Right now, Phoenix's carrier division was on the flight deck, having their aircraft patrol the airspace around us, while the curious Abyssals explored the ships and the rest remained on the bridge.

I did ask Phoenix and Beacon to tell their respective fleets to not mess with any of the weaponry, machinery, or crew bunks. The former two to prevent anything bad from happening, and the latter...well I didn't tell them but personally, I felt like it was appropriate to show some...respect to the human crews to not disturb their effects...until later.

Hmmm.

 _Beeeeeeep  
_  
Eh? Did that come from the map?

I stood up and walked over, scanning it carefully-

Wait, where the fuck did the human forces go?

=============

"Transponders deactivated. Changing all communication and sensor systems to stealth mode."

"All units report having their weapons primed."

"This is Carrier Division Six, our birds are in the air and en route to target."

"This is Carrier Division Four, birds in the air and en route!"

Zhang took one careful look at the map again before uttering, "Begin."

Across the battlegroup, weapons officers hit their launch buttons simultaneously. The caps atop each launch rail opened and missiles came shooting out of the deck, turning and directing themselves at the now-Abyssal battlegroup. The _Tsukuyomi_ began to close its mobile dock, water flowing off of it as it was raised out off the water, and the battlegroup prepared to move.

En route to their targets, the missiles cut their engines, jettisoning them in midair, while their metallic paneling began falling off, revealing a cluster of smaller missiles within them. Those missiles ignited their engines, splitting off to form separate groups. Meanwhile, a set of larger missiles veered away from the main group, approaching the enemy from a different attack vector.

The swarm, guided by the powerful computers installed within them, descended on the enemy.

=============

I looked at the map, shivering.

The human warships had suddenly disappeared from the display, which must mean that they had started up their stealth systems. Which again, most likely meant a second swarm of missiles was headed this way.

"Crap. The enemy is most likely attacking us." I announced to the rest of the Abyssals on the bridge.

Siren, recently brought back by Yuri via emergency teleport, spoke. "And? Do I launch some of the-"

"No no no, that wouldn't work. They are most likely targeting the ships themselves, which would mean that we can't use that to deflect the enemy. The best way in fact..." I swallowed hard. I hadn't actually planned for this. "...would be actually to use this ship's weapons to defend ourselves."

"You said that it was best for us to not touch the human weaponry." Phoenix pointed out.

"I did, but that was because I didn't expect to be discovered so soon! I was hoping that they would be confused a little longer before launching missiles at us." I clenched my teeth. "Right now, I will need to try operating them. Yuri?"

"Yes?" The long-haired Abyssal answered.

"I need you to teleport me over to the other ships so that I can arm their point defense systems. Phoenix, is it possible for the weather mages to create another storm around us?"

"No. They are too tired to fight, let alone use magic." She shook her head sadly as she spoke.

"Dammit. Alright, looks like I will have to try to do so-" Suddenly, a series of loud warning beeps filled the room. I took another look at the map, which were covered in red warning signs- holy crap, _how many missiles are there?_

"And that's my effing cue." I muttered as I rushed to the Master Weapons Console.

Alright, let's see what you have...on the screen, is a replica of the map, except in a simplified, top-down-view. On the map was a massive number of lines that indicated the incoming swarm of missiles, descending on the right flank of our ships.

"Now...how do I use this?" I muttered. While there wasn't a confusing mass of buttons, there were only a handful of them and the map itself. That was it. I touched the screen, and a dot appeared on the map. Thank fucking god, it was touchscreen.

Okay...I looked at the buttons, and found one that was labelled 'weapons'. Hitting it, I looked back at the screen. Now the screen had a new window on the left, which had two buttons on it -'Missiles' and 'Point Defense'.

I tapped on the second option, and yet another menu appeared, this time showing two weapons, what seemed to be a normal CIWS system and- _is that a laser system?_ \- and an anti-missile missile system, that makes three systems -

And next to the first two was a message: 'auto-fire enabled'

...I'm such an idiot. Of course they had auto-fire enabled, what were you thinking?

I hit the third option, anti-missile interceptors, and it went back to the map - this time, target recticles appeared on top of the incoming missiles.

I stared at it for a few moments before I finally realised what they meant. Derp, the computer systems had already done the damn targeting!

Now, how do I activate it...looking around, I found a flashing red button, with a cover over it.

Oh, I see.

I opened the cover and hit the button.

I looked out of the window, wondering where the missiles would emerge from, and spotted lights suddenly appearing from in front of the bridge. As I watched, a set of missiles flew out, quickly escaping from my point of view.

A sense of relief hit me, and I slumped in my chair for a moment, before sitting up again.

"Looks like I didn't need to bother, the point defense systems were already active." I turned to speak to the Abyssals. "Right now I just need to go over to the other ships, and make sure that their's are also act-"

A second loud beep came from the holographic map. Ok, what was going on now?

I rushed to it, looking it over again. There were the ships, the missiles, and -

A bunch of torpedoes far off to our left.

I froze mid breath, my hairs on end. "Juri! HARD TO STARBOARD-"

Then the torpedoes accelerated at a frightening rate, moving at speeds I could never imagine them travelling at.

Unless... _supercavitating torpedoes?  
_  
================

 _Crap!  
_  
I repeated my orders, much louder this time. "Phoenix! Get all ships to reduce speed and turn right- I mean to starboard!"

I felt the ship roll under my feet, and I grabbed the console to try and keep myself stable while it turned. Looking back at the map, the torpedoes were still on course for our formation and still moving ridiculously fast.

My mind considered several options. Could we get out of the way in time? Could we intercept the torpedoes? Would the CIWS or anti-missile missiles work?

As I continued to think, the torpedoes closed the distance, coming ever closer to impact.

...

Perhaps...

"Rally! Do you still have tentacles outside of the hull?" I screamed in panic.

"Yes?"

"Good! Can you use them to intercept the torpedoes?" I yelled, anxiously checking the map again and again, watching the progress of the torpedoes.

"I will try." She closed her eyes, and the whole ship shook.

I looked back at the map again. The torpedoes continued to leap across the battlefield, crossing kilometers in seconds.

 _Come on come on come on-  
_  
One of the torpedoes disappeared from the map. Followed by another. And another.

I looked out of the window, and sure enough, there was a line of massive plumes of water in the air, the after effects of the torpedoes being intercepted by Rally.

Looking back at the map, I held my breath anxiously. Come on, intercept all of them-

"Magician! I missed the last few torpedoes!"

- _fuck!  
_  
On the map, I saw that the remaining torpedoes were headed for the ship at the front of the formation.

 _Dammit!  
_  
"Warship 1!" I screamed with both mind and mouth. "You are about to be hit! Abandon ship-"

The torpedoes touched the hologram representing the ship, and it flashed a few times, with a message labelled 'MULTIPLE IMPACTS DETECTED' appearing over it. Seeing the message, I looked away, wincing. Shouts and yells filled the network, ringing in my mind.

Looking through the window, I saw another massive plume of water in the distance, right next to the stern of the frontmost ship. Checking the map again, the previous message had been replaced, with another warning.

I read it, and paled. Not only had the ship's hull been breached, The engines had been completely wrecked. It didn't matter how severe the damage was; the fact that damage had been sustained was enough, given that the Abyssals had no way of repairing it.

In any way, the ship was lost.

I slammed my fist on the table, and turned my attention back to the incoming enemy missiles. The missile interceptors had done their work on the swarm, reducing their numbers, and slowly the point defense systems on the ships were tearing apart the rest.

But was it enough?

Ok, tackle things one by one...

Firstly..."All remaining units, prepare to maneuver around the damaged vessel. All units aboard Warship 1, prepare to evacuate."

Paying no attention to the replies, I looked back at the map, and took stock.

Firstly, the incoming missiles. I had already settled that problem by using the interceptors and point-defense, but they might not be enough...

Then, there were the enemy pursuit forces, including any shipgirls or their air forces. While we hadn't seen them yet...they would definitely be on their way here-

More warning signs light up the map, red icons that are labelled with the names of aircraft and their respective squadrons.

Welp, speak of the devil and he shall cometh. Damn. What shall we do?

The missiles are getting shot down, but they are still closing and at this rate, the weapons on the warships might aim for the planes rather than the incoming missiles. Which meant...

We had to get the enemy planes as far away from the ships as possible.

"Phoenix! Get your carriers to keep the enemy planes as far from the ship as possible!" I turned and yelled, before redirecting my attention back to the tactical map. What else could I use? I didn't dare expand any more of the limited missile stores, for we could need it for later-

Oh hang on...

I look back at the stricken warship on the map. Tapping its hologram, labelled EACS _Huanglong_ , I looked at its statistics.

I scrolled down the menu, looking for the damage label...apparently, its weapons, despite the ship having suffered a terrible hit, were still operational, even if the ship was guaranteed to sink in a couple of hours.

It was going to be - no, it _is_ already lost to us, so...

"Yuri! I need your help now!

==============================

Zhang looked at the tactical map carefully. The shipgirl squadrons were already advancing on the ships, attacking from the south-east. Meanwhile, several groups of aircraft sped ahead of them, preparing to launch their strikes on the now-enemy ships. At the same time, the decoy swarm of missiles advanced further, getting closer and closer to the enemy.

As he watched the missiles be slowly whittled down by various anti-missile systems, he wondered about the state of the weaponry on the once-Battlegroup Two. Were the Abyssals commandeering them? It seemed unlikely - more likely it was due to EAC naval doctrine that decreed that all point-defense weaponry had to be kept on auto-fire at all times.

Besides, if the enemy had been able to use the weapons, there would already be a missile strike heading for his battlegroup.

Then again, they had managed to commandeer the ships...

His mind fought a vicious tug-of-war. Were his forces under the threat of a missile strike, or...

"Sir, our aerial forces have made contact with the enemy."

Zhang looked back to the map at the technician's announcement. Around the enemy ships, red and blue holographic icons swerved around each other, trying to shoot down the other. He looked at it more closely, frowning. "Aren't their point defense systems active?"

A tech appeared at his side. "It appears that the enemy aircraft is engaging our aircraft just outside the range of their point defense systems, sir." Zhang measured the distance on the map, and sure enough, the technician was right.

 _Something's not right. If they did this deliberately, do they understand that allowing the missiles and our aircraft enter their defense zones might overwhelm their defenses? How much do they know of our capabilities?"  
_  
For several minutes, the battle raged on while the Admiral observed. The missile strike which had been a decoy for the torpedo attack was whittled down and removed from the equation, while the Abyssals avoided the crippled _Huanglong_ and pressed on with their escape. Meanwhile, the battle in the skies continued to rage, neither side ceding any ground to each other, and the shipgirls prepared to cut off the Abyssals. On their warships, the destroyers released a second wave of missiles, larger than the previous one, meant to utterly wipe the Abyssals off the map.

Suddenly, the Abyssals made their move.

"Sir! The Abyssals have began pulling back their aircraft!"

On the map, the icons representing the enemy aircraft began retreating, disengaging from the shipgirl aircraft. Immediately, the latter gave chase, aiming their weapons for the enemy warships.

Flying into weapon's range, the shipgirl planes began to let loose all their weapons, ignoring the of laser beams lancing up on them. A few were hit, and their flaming wreckage fell into the ocean.

As the guided bombs, torpedoes and missiles fell, their guidance systems and engines activated, and flew towards the vulnerable decks of the ships.

Black shapes suddenly appeared right next to each warship, rapidly rising out of the water. As they rose, they blossomed into black shields, covering each warship.

The shields absorbed the blasts, shaking under the power of the many missiles that impacted it. As the last piece of ordinance finally exhausted itself against them, some of the shields broke apart, cracking and falling into the sea, while the survivors began to retreat back to whence they came.

The shipgirl aircraft began to retreat, when suddenly everything happened very fast.

"Sir! We are registering missile launches from the _Huanglong_!"

================

The missiles rose like flaming dragons, shooting one by one from the deck of the _Huanglong._ As they reached a certain altitude, they peeled away from each other, flying on their respective preset vectors.

From the map, Zhang watched in shock, before turning around and staring at his subordinates. "Do we have any anti-missile interceptors ready?!"

"Yes sir, but even if we launched them now, they may not make it in time-!" With that reply, the admiral turned back to watching the battle unfold.

A mass of anti-air ordinance went for his air forces as the enemy fighters peeled away from the dogfight.

Even as the shipgirl fighters broke ranks to evade the missile swarm, their own human technology was used against them to great effect - missiles detonated around the fighters, launching a uncountable amount of shrapnel at them.

Their airframes torn apart and holed by the vicious assault, the fighters slowly fell. Some exploded in midair due to ruptured fuel tanks or just splashed into the water, the high-pitched cries of their fairy pilots lost to the wind.

Some managed to survive, but were set upon by the Abyssal aircraft, come back to feast on their remains.

Meanwhile, the other set of missiles flew across the battlefield in an arc, crashing down on the shipgirls that were pursuing the main Abyssal battlegroup.

The shipgirls' point defenses engaged the missiles as they arrived, battleships and cruisers spraying a wall of superheated cannon rounds into the air while the missile destroyers launched missile interceptors.

Several missiles were shredded by the cannons, detonating midair as their explosives were set off prematurely. Others were hit by the missile interceptors, which forced them off course before exploding, destroying both themselves and their targets.

But some of the enemy's missiles got through, and they detonated just above the water surface. The explosions sent shipgirls flailing, as shrapnel stabbed them repeatedly, rending holes in their armor and superstructure.

The missile impacts forced the shipgirls to slow down and break ranks in an attempt to evade the strikes and aid their fellows.

With the shipgirl advance stopped, the Abyssal battlegroup continued to sail past them. A couple of Abyssals took a few potshots at them as they passed. Some shipgirls attempted to retaliate, but only managed to inflict superficial damage to the enemy.

Watching the tide of battle change from his post, Zhang looked in horror as the Abyssals began to reach the edge of their own territory unharried, out of reach of the incoming missile strike. One by one, the ships vanished into the fog, disappearing from their sight. Silence filled the room as the officers considered the consequences of their failure.

One officer finally spoke up. "What shall we do now, sir?"

Zhang finally shook off the shock that had filled him, which was slowly being replaced by anger. In a calm voice, he replied, "Redirect the remaining missile volley to strike the _Huanglong_. Begin recalling all forces."

"Also..." He took in a sharp breath. "Prepare to contact High Command in a hour, and raise Rear Admiral Sun..." He sat down on a chair and took off his hat, pulling a handkerchief to wipe off the sweat off his face.

 _There is no way to continue pursuit of the enemy fleet...they managed to retreat under the cover of their ever-present fog, and if I gave the order to pursue there would be no idea what they could do..._

 _In other words, I failed.  
_  
A sinking feeling settled in his chest.

==================

"That should...do it, I guess."

I looked once more across the screen of the EACS _Huanglong_ 's master weapons command console. Right now, the final set of missiles were being reloaded into the missile launchers, and were set to fire immediately as they were loaded.

I wiped some sweat off my brow. Somehow, I managed to figure out how to use some other commands of the ship, like setting a general attack area for the anti-shipgirl missiles, or setting which missiles were to be loaded into which tube. Otherwise, it had been the same process as what I did on the _Yu Huang_ , selecting each weapon in turn and letting the onboard computers do the targeting for me.

That said...how the hell did the missile loading systems on the ship work? The whole process was automated, but it definitely wasn't that easy, right?

Ignoring the constant wailing that indicated the ship was slowly sinking, I looked at the tactical map once more. As far as I knew, the main Abyssal battlegroup had pretty much disappeared into the fog, and were probably continuing their retreat, past the fog into the first pocket of clear sky within their territory, then to the remains of the old base.

I scanned the map and saw that the swarm of missiles were now headed straight for the _Huanglong_.

Welp.

"Yuri? Time to blow this joint." She walked up to me, and I grabbed hold of her arm.

A strange feeling surrounded me as I blinked, and when I reopened my eyes, I was back on the bridge of the _Yu Huang_. I finally let loose a breath, and collapsed into the nearest chair.

"So...Magician, are we safe now?" Siren asked me after a moment's silence.

"Yeah...we are. They won't pursue, mainly because it would be too dangerous for them to do so... Even if they tried, we would have backup from Beacon's forces. Thankfully, we had this fog cloud ready for us to hide in."

When I answered that question, the bridge lapsed back into silence.

...

So I finally won a naval battle, saving my poor ass and those of the Abyssals...and got myself a fleet.

Funny, I'm not laughing or anything...

...

Now what?

===========Chapter 2 End============


	16. Chapter 3-01 - A Short Talk

========Chapter 3: Isolation========

Somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, a woman stood on a balcony, one that opened up to the highest floor of a certain tower.

Below her, a city stretched out, its streets and buildings arranged into both neat blocks and haphazard clusters. Even as she looked out to the endless horizon of the sea, the orange light of the sun gently illuminating her features, life bustled in the city, humanoid figures mingling amongst the light and smoke. A wind blew, and it gently moved the hem of her dress to the side.

A flock of birds flew across the tower, cawing as they passed. One of the birds, with feathers both ashen-black and bone-white, flew towards the woman. She lifted one hand up, and the bird landed on it, looking at her intently. Raising her other hand, she stroked it carefully.

A knock came from her room, and the woman turned around. She stepped back into the room, nudging the bird off her hand. The bird glided carefully to a perch at the corner of the room, cawing once.

Closing the door to the balcony, the woman walked to her desk, her heels clicking as she strode across the hard floor. Smoothing out her red dress, she sat up in her chair, and brushed a lock of white hair to the side, revealing her incandescent red eyes.

"Please enter."

A click, and the door swung open, revealing two women - one with cropped, grey hair, a pair of wire-rimed glasses, a blouse with puffy sleeves and a short skirt that ended right above her knees, with a pair of short heels on her feet. She wore stoic and serious look, all the while holding a stack of papers. The other was more exotically dressed. She had short hair, but with two tails of hair extending to either side of her head, while a extremely long ponytail extended all the way to her waist, brushing past what was her tail, bleached-white like her skin with a few fish-like fins protruding out of it. She wore a tight-fitting jumper, a pair of gloves that had wild and intricate patterns sewed on them, and a pair of high-heeled boots with a strange, mollusk-esque armor design on them. Her face held an eager grin, and bright-orange eyes _blazed_ above it.

The serious-looking Abyssal closed the door behind them, then walked to the side of the room, observing the other two. The second visitor simply walked up the the room's occupant, and began speaking rapidly, disregarding all formalities. "Black-Crane, did you hear the news about Emerging-Leviathan's former Fleet?"

"No, I haven't." Black-Crane answered, then raised a hand to the chair on the other side of the table. "Besides, won't you have a seat, Collector-Of-The-Stars?"

Collector whipped her head around at Black-Crane's admission, her expression frozen in stunned silence. "You haven't?!" Barely a second passed before she continued. "Oh, this is _rich._ " She let out a few hearty chuckles, before grabbing the chair and sliding into it. Staring into Black-Crane's face, who responded with a light smile, she spoke, "Oh, do tell what you have been up to. The last I checked, you were accompanying Leviathan to the docks before seeing her off, just before she died in the humans' invasion."

"Actually, before you demanded this meeting, I was going to hear about those news from Marian." Continuing to smile, Black-Crane responded lightly, almost playfully.

"Tch." Her fun ruined, Collector leaned back, her expression turning to one of irritation and disappointment. Black-Crane turned and signaled the waiting Abyssal to come forward.

Marian stepped forward, pulling a certain piece of paper out of the stack as she did. She pushed up her glasses with a finger before reading off it. "Leviathan's Fleet, where command of it was transferred to Giant-Phoenix-That-Watches, and with the aid of Beacon-Of-Pride-And-Power's Fleet, managed to repel the human task force that was credited with the destruction of at least 4 different bases, and the capture of one more." Finished, she stepped back.

"I see." Black-Crane turned back to face Collector, whose left eye had widened in surprise. "Well? What more can you add that will make this meeting worthwhile?"

Collector looked at her for a few moments, confused, before she finally realised what Crane actually meant. She threw her head back in a loud roar of laughter, her voice booming across the city, before replying, with a mad grin on her face. "Hehehehe...so actually, your network isn't that developed yet...so you let me...I see..."

"Your network is more effective outside of _Yumenominato,_ that is obvious, given that your Gatherers suck up every single piece of knowledge they come across, and they are almost everywhere." Black-Crane smiled. "Whereas everyone is suspicious of those who have some connection with me."

"Not everyone wants my sisters on their bases either...but I know what you mean." Collector's grin subsided a little, and she leaned forward, intertwining her fingers and placing her elbows on the table and her chin on her hands. "Well...you remember Siren-Of-Knowledge, don't you?"

Black-Crane's eyes went a little glassy for a moment as she tried to remember what the leader of the Gatherers Of Knowledge was referring to, before she shook her head. "Just get to the point."

"Ara ara..." Mischievousness lit up in Collector's eyes again. "She's the Gatherer I assigned to Leviathan's fleet. She just sent a dispatch, direct to me even. Apparently, Phoenix managed to capture not one, not two, not even three, but _5_ of the human ships! All intact, and filled to the brim with human technology, even!"

A slight giggle escaped Collector's lips, and Black-Crane got the feeling that the truly interesting news was yet to be revealed. "And?"

"You see..." Collector's voice lowered to a whisper, forcing Black-Crane to lean in closer to hear. "According to Siren, Phoenix was not the one to pull it off...it was a male, a boy,by the name of _Magician_ and summoned by Siren herself, who pulled it off! Not only that, he also helped Siren develop a working set of missiles-"

"Wait."

Black-Crane withdrew, and stared at her friend and colleague's face, with a frown on her own lips. "Did you just say that Siren summoned this...male, by herself?"

"Yes." Collector looked at her, also frowning. "Why-"

"Did he say he used to be human?" Black-Crane lost her composure, looking at Collector with a wide-eyed expression.

"Yes." Collector replied, and Black-Crane slowly stood, rubbing her face with her palm, then turned back to Collector. "You said that Beacon-Of-Pride-And-Power was there too, right?"

Collector nodded, and Black-Crane began to pace around the room, biting her finger. "How could this happen...as soon as Leviathan dies, another pops up..."

Hearing her friend's words, Collector understood. "The Marauders..."

"Yes." Black-Crane looked at her, frustration in her eyes. "Beacon is a high-ranking Commander of theirs No doubt that they already want to...secure this... _prize commander..._ " She clenched her fist, then looked to Marian. "Prepare the _Songbird_ for departure, and again, ensure that Marauder doe not discover it." The Abyssal bowed, before walking out of the room.

Black-Crane looked at Collector and said, "I will be heading to Leviathan's base personally. Do you plan on accompanying me?"

"Am I going to stay behind and pass up the chance to see this Magician and the technology he plundered?" Collector smirked, and stood up. "No."

The two of them looked at each other, before Black-Crane nodded and whistled. The black-and-white bird flew from its perch and landed on her shoulder, as she walked out of the room. Collector followed suit, muttering under her breath.

"It seems another storm is coming..."

================================


	17. Chapter 3-02 - Reflections

====================

Capturing a ship...isn't as easy as one would think.

As I sat in front of a screen displaying a password entry window, I remembered that.

I mean, sure, you could actually wrest control of the warship from its crew, take it and get away with it...

But this was the 21st Century. Hence there was _one,_ extremely stubborn, thing that would never get out of your way, and continuously sabotage any effort to truly gain control of it.

Security systems.

The ship was covered in locks, from biometrics that already been unlocked, to ones that needed a still missing keycard, and finally the one that only required a password (like the one that stood before me now).

They impeded your process, prevented you from _truly_ controlling it, and remained a nuisance that would normally take months to get rid of.

Unless, of course, you performed a hard reset on every single computer on the ship.

I briefly recalled some of my old knowledge.

If you wanted the passwords, locks and the like on a computer gone, you would either need to use the available recovery options or perform a hard reset.

Given that this was the _future_ , it should be possible to reset all the computers aboard the ship. Hence I was inside the server rooms, looking at the 'brains' of the ship.

At least, according to that engineer I spoke too.

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. At my very own orders, I had...urgh...I had requested for Phoenix to loan me a member of her personal division to help me 'extract' information about this out from some of the engineers that had been captured.

Seeing it in action...

Not only had the engineers spilled the beans, a few also gave me a complete, step-by-step guide on manipulating not only the carrier's systems, but those of the destroyer's as well. Afterwards, the Abyssal had 'transmitted' to me a the combined memories of the engineers regarding the operations of the ships.

I swear, the Abyssal could even have made them kowtow to me if she had wanted to.

It was honestly really, really frightening, even just thinking about it...

I shuddered.

...

What was I going to do about the POWs?

Right now, if I wanted any more intel out of them, I could just ask Phoenix, and she would let me have one of her attendants for the job, and then...

I had asked each of the Abyssals about it in turn, and none of them had given me anything satisfactory.

Except for Beacon, who gave me pretty much what I had expected.

 _"Put them out of their misery."  
_  
Could I? Those people had families, had lives, and killing them...how many other souls would be hurt? Enough had died already, and already had blood on my hands...could they be stained even more?

...

Did I even have a goal for the future? The human invasion force has been defeated, so my life is no longer in danger, I don't need to participate in any more battles...

I asked Phoenix about whether I was still beholden to serve, and her answer was that I could do pretty much whatever I wanted.

She even hinted that I could actually take the human warships, and leave with her blessing.

But then, I wouldn't know what to do, or even where to go. I had no clue about this world and 'interrogating' the prisoners myself was pretty much not an option, whether through mind rape or the 'traditional' methods.

Well, at least Phoenix had promised to tell me more about Abyssal history, about some of the wars that happened and so on.

Thank god for someone who was more than happy to give advice and help, even if she was an Abyssal...

Speaking of Abyssals...

Ever since the battle had ended, it felt like the atmosphere surrounding the slowly-reconstructed base had loosened up a lot.

While a lot could be attributed to the fact that the Abyssals had won a massive victory over their enemies, I couldn't help but feel that I was being looked at a lot more by the Abyssals.

I was also hearing two names being repeated in hushed conversations around the base: 'Marauder' and 'Creator'.

And most interestingly, Beacon was treating me with much more respect than before.

Urggh, if gaining respect meant slaying a few thousand souls... A feeling of nausea came over me, and I felt like I had lead dropped into my stomach.

I stared into empty space for a few moments. Man, I really wish that my annoying brat of a sister were here. Hell, I would pay anything just for another human to appear - at least I wouldn't feel so goddamned lonely, and I would have someone who could tell me what to do right now!

Or better, why couldn't I just fucking go home? I saved a bunch of Abyssals, brilliant! So please God, or whatever deity that lives up there, may I go home?

...

Of course, what was i thinking? No way that would happen...

Now that I finally sat down and thought about it, this reminded me of some of the stories I read back home...Unfortunate men and women, transferred into some popular character's body, who would then proceed to 'CHANGE THE WORLD'!

Heh. To think, that I would suffer the same fate as them, but I would roll a natural 1 on the proverbial dice and get thrown in the body of the mookiest mook, with no special powers, knowledge of future events, or even extra knowledge at all, who could have died if not for a ocean worth of luck.

I snorted.

As always, I am alone.

Magician the Forever Alone, heh. Maybe I should paint that on a board and slap it on my back -

"How is it going?"

YAHH!

I fell out of my chair in shock, tumbling onto the ground. Owwwwww...

"Oh, sorry! Are you ok, Magician?"

I opened one blurry eye, and saw the katana-wielding form of Juri.

"Ow...yeah, I'm fine..." I tried to push myself up, and Juri offered her hand to me. I grabbed it and she lifted me up with her tremendous strength.

"Hmmph." I made a grumpy expression as I brushed some dust off myself. "Dammit, couldn't you, or Yuri, have the courtesy to warn me before teleporting near me?"

"Oh, sorry." Even as she put her arm behind her head, I got the feeling that she wasn't _really_ that sorry. "Anyway, the commander says she has time to speak to you again, so here I am."

"Couldn't she just talk to me with her mind?" I said while trying to regain my seat.

"I wanted to check up on you, too. It's not like you actually reveal yourself very often, so I'm really curious to see what you are doing."

I sighed. "Well, for your information, I've been simply trying to make sure I can get the ships under my control. Well, that, and being dragged around by Siren whenever she discovers something new." That said, I hoped Siren hasn't caused any mechanical failures yet... _especially_ with the massive nuclear fusion reactor a few decks down.

How the fuck did that work again? I had tried to dig up my old physics knowledge, but I had nothing on its internals...hopefully it wouldn't need much maintainence...

"So what are you working on now?" I snapped out of my reverie.

"Just the final piece of the puzzle, as we humans say..." I pointed to the screen. "Right now, the best way I know of to remove any locks the humans have on the ship is to wipe the database here completely and return it to its original, pre-battle state. So that is what I'm about to do."

Juri nodded, getting the idea, and I finally leaned in to do my work. After typing in a few passwords, some data, and finally clicking the start button, the machines started whirring up, spinning their cooling fans, and a timer appeared on the screen.

The only downsides to doing such a factory reset would be the loss of any navigational data preset settings, and so on - but according to the engineers there were some backup caches disconnected from the ship, so I could use those...

"Ok, so I need to wait at least...30 minutes, so perhaps I could talk to Phoenix now?" I asked, turning to face Juri.

Juri nodded to me, but instead of immediately grabbing my arm, she folded her own.

"Say, Magician, do you have any siblings?"

"Huh?" I looked at her, confused. "Um..what...why this question, out of nowhere?"

"Well...you said that you were a human, so I'm curious. What kind of life did you have before Siren summoned you? What was human life like-"

"Drop it."

My voice came out sounding like the growl of an irritated lion.

"Eh? Don't you want to reveal-"

"I SAID DROP IT!" I glared at her, my hands balling themselves into fists. A shocked expression appeared on her face, and both of us looked at each other for a few moments.

The fire in me slowly died down, and I finally unclenched my fists.

"Sorry, but I don't think now's the right time." I spoke under my breath, but loud enough for her to hear.

"Oh. Okay." Looking at her expression, I suddenly felt bad.

"Look, just...just get me to Phoenix." I extended one hand, and after a moment's hesitation, she took it.

==================

Both Juri and I rematerialised on the deck of the base.

When Rally-Of-The-Needed chose to rebuild her home, I had asked her to tweak the design so that it could act as a dock for the captured ships. While she wasn't all too pleased with that, and a few arguments had broken out, I had convinced her it was a good idea.

As such, while the base was slowly being rebuilt on the supporting pillars of the old one, the design now included a seperate partition acting as a floating berth for the ships, and the actual deck of the platform had been lowered to just about two to three meters above sea level.

As we walked through the bridge connecting the partitions and onto the main base itself, we passed a couple of squat, short buildings - temporary housing built by Rally for the other Abyssals. Above us, the sky was an expanse of never-ending blue, interrupted by the occasional cloud. Finally, we reached the corner of the base, where the 'control' tower, Phoenix's personal nest and office, was located.

Climbing up a few flights of stairs, I knocked on the door.

"Enter."

I opened the door, and saw Phoenix on the couch, her 'hat' off and Yuri standing guard at the side. On the table in front of her was a large, ornately decorated map, coloured brown in the style of old maps used in the 18th to 17th century.

Walking over, I settled into another couch facing her.

I cut to the chase. "So you said you were going to tell me more about Abyssal history...actually, hold on, what do you call yourselves?"

Phoenix looked at me, confused. "Ummm...Abyssals?"

"That's the human name for you, as far as I know. Don't you go by something more -"

"Actually, we call ourselves by that name too." She explained.

"Huh? Why?" I asked, bewildered.

"I...don't really know...although if I remember correctly...it was Creator that gave us this name."

Creator...? Hang on, haven't I heard that name around here- "Wait, who is this 'Creator'? I keep hearing that name around here-"

"Wait." Phoenix held up both her hands, looking overwhelmed. "Magician...lets just go through this step-by-step? Please don't be so hasty..."

Oh, yeah. What a dumb idiot I am. "Oh, sorry."

"Ok..." Phoenix took a breath, and blinked once. "Firstly, when you asked me for our history a week ago...I didn't tell you everything about our history, because I was...rushing through the details so we could discuss how to defeat the humans."

"Yeah, I understand. So right now, you are going to give me the full account of that, right?"

"Yes." Phoenix paused before beginning. "Firstly, after we finally gained our sapience, we were fractured into many 'fleets', or if I were to use the more...'human' term, 'tribes'."

"Then, Creator, or by his full name, Creator-Of-Civilization, appeared. I am not sure where, or when, but he appeared with a fleet, and began attacking and absorbing other fleets into his own."

Huh. So apparently I am not the first male Abyssal?

"While he often faced fleets far stronger than his, he always bested them using various tactics and strategies, outmaneuvering his enemies. He also brought strange new technologies and magics to the field, using them to decimate his enemies. Very soon, his fleet, which he called 'The Founders', managed to gain a large swath of territory."

"Using their great resources, they built a base here," Phoenix pointed to an 8-pointed star on the map in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. "As their power grew, they also slowly expanded that base, and slowly, it became known as the 'Port Of Dreams."

"Although that was their seat of power, they also constructed numerous bases across the Pacific Ocean in order to consolidate their power, extending their reach to every corner. It was said then, that wherever you went, you could always see the flag of the Founders, and their mighty navies."

"Then?" I spoke. "Where are they now?"

Phoenix paused for awhile. "A lot of things are unclear...but many of the rumors revolved around one thing: that Creator didn't care about those who worked under him."

"I've heard various tales: that some Abyssals were turned into slaves, many bases and workers were neglected, forced to extract resources from the abyss endlessly, while corruption spread through the ranks. Creator himself, it seemed, had became a tyrant; a demon on the throne of his empire."

What the hell...

"So after several years, a commander from an outlying base, known as Marauder-Of-The-Seas, suddenly revolted when she refused to pay tribute to a Founder Base."

"When the Founders tried to suppress her actions, Marauder defeated them instead. She then went on to consolidate the conquered fleets into an 'Alliance' who then fought the Founders in an act of outright rebellion."

"While the Founders had the power of numbers and technology, the Alliance managed to make hundreds of Abyssals defect, while poor morale and corruption caused weakened the Founder's navies."

"Eventually, the Alliance were finally able to begin an assault on the Port Of Dreams itself, but that was where things became...unclear." Phoenix grimaced as she spoke the last word.

"How so?" I asked.

"On the day the assault began...a massive fire broke out over the 'Port Of Dreams, and the Founders were too busy trying to put out the flames to care about the Alliance. Eventually, they put it out, but not before the Alliance managed to capture most of the base."

"Then, one of Creator's Lieutanants, going by the name Blackened-Crane-Of-The-East, stepped up and claimed that Creator had been killed, before calling for a truce."

"Some of the Alliance began searching for Creator, believing that he had escaped, but when they found no body they affrimed his death. Afterwards, the Alliance forced the Founders to disband, and took away all their assets, save the Port Of Dreams which Blackened-Crane managed to keep, in exchange for never being able to assemble a fleet ever again. As for the strange technology of the Founders..." Phoenix took a breath. "Most of it was burned in the Port Of Dreams during the fire, and many of their scientists died. The remainder forming the Gatherers Of Knowledge, who were also forbidden from forming a fleet."

"After carving up the conquered territories for themselves, the various fleets of the Alliance disbanded. Marauder, now known as Marauder-Of-The-Great-Pacific, took a small amount of those territories in favor of patrolling the old territories of the Founders with her own Fleet, the Founders. Lastly, Blackened-Crane began reconstructing the Port Of Dreams, and renamed it to _Yumenominato."  
_  
"And that was the end of what we call the Founder War. All of this...only happened a few years ago." Phoenix finished.

A few years ago...At least I was lucky enough to avoid that massive clusterfuck. Jeez...

Even with an explanation, it was still confusing. What should I do now? "Do you know how I could contact the Marauders?"

"Well..." Phoenix made a face. "Beacon is one of them."

I jerked at that bombshell. "What. _What._ " I stared at her. "Then...don't tell me they are all like her -"

"Actually, it wouldn't be fair to say that they are all like her...just that they do share certain views..." Phoenix looked at the door nervously.

"As far as I know, Beacon's fleet does have respect for her...so I think even she isn't all that bad." Yuri added, and her sister nodded in agreement.

"Hmmm...arggh, even after hearing all that, I don't have any idea what to do next." I said, rubbing my head.

"Actually..." Phoenix murmured. She had her hands clasped together, looking downwards. "If you don't mind, Magician, could you stay and join this..no, _my_ fleet?"

"Huh? Why?" I asked in confusion.

"Thing is..." She slowly looked up to face me. "I feel like you at this moment, clueless on what to do. Even when I became Leviathan's vice commander, I didn't really know why she settled here, or what she planned to do in the future. As far as I can tell, the humans could return any time, and then it would fall on me to defend this base. If...I had you around, I could do that more effectively, and perhaps succeed..." Her voice trailed off.

Could I? I mean, it did sound great, but I would be at the frontline constantly, which meant my chances of death would increase exponentially, which I didn't want...On the other hand, I could wait a bit longer, get a better bearing on this world before I did anything...

Though...did I really want to continue fighting for the Abyssals? It would mean that I would be killing more humans...going deeper down the rabbit hole...

"Frankly speaking...I'm not that great of a commander, in fact, we only forced the enemy to retreat, and we did that because they weren't actually expecting to see us to fight like a navy, with tactics and strategies and what not...so please don't see me that way..." I shifted in my seat.

"Really?" I glanced at Juri when she spoke. "That's not really true; as far as I can tell, using your enemies' disadvantages to your own advantage is something a good commander knows."

"True." Now Yuri was nodding. "As far as we can tell, you did great for your first battle, turning disadvantages into advantages, making good use of your resources... seems pretty alright to me-"

"Just, stop. Please." I shifted even further, feeling uncomfortable. "It doesn't change the fact that I don't have a clue about fighting in the first place-"

Suddenly Phoenix stood up.

"Eh? What's wrong?" I asked.

"A fleet has been seen,coming from the east, and it's hailing us." Phoenix looked at me, her expression frozen in shock. "It's the Marauders."


	18. Chapter 3-03 - First Taste of Diplomacy

**A/N: Copying stuff from SB is a bitch.**

 **Firstly, I just checked, and this happens to be the 19th longest Kantai Collection fanfic on this site. Seems impressive, until you read Ambiance: AFS and you realise that** **quantity** **does not equal quality. Ugh, what a piece of shit.**

 **Also, I'm adding the name of recommended music tracks at the start of sub-chapters. Fanfic reading is great with music!**

* * *

"What?!" I pushed myself off the couch. " _Already?!_ "

Phoenix was silent for a few moments, before answering. "Yes...they have also announced their intention to dock with the base...and they want a meeting with the both of us." She looked at me.

Dammit.

"Couldn't we tell them to...go away? I mean, this is your territory, so you can tell them to, well, 'fuck off'?" I rubbed my head, feeling a headache forming.

"No." Phoenix shook her head. "When the Founder War ended, the Alliance also gave the Marauders the right to patrol anywhere and disallowed anyone from obstructing them."

"Fuck," I fell back onto the couch, nursing my growing headache. "How many of them are there?"

"I don't know...but, apparently at the head of their fleet is Marauder-Of-The-Great-Pacific's flagship, the _Defiant_. If _she_ is here herself..."

"Arrrgghhh..." I started to rub my face. Beacon. Dammit, the slimy bitch must have been relaying messages over...no wonder she was around me all the fucking time!

What options did I have now? Could I make a break for it? Or just face them...

Damn, looks like I will have to meet with them...At the very least, if I had to do that, I should at least be able to keep them away from the human warships...I wouldn't want them anywhere near the POWs...

"What do I do now?" I asked Phoenix.

"Given what they asked for, looks like we will have to meet them at the docks." She turned and made for the door. "Rally will need to prepare a space..."

* * *

 **[Arpeggio Of Blue Steel: ARS NOVA OST: Musashi's Theme]**

Rally-Of-The-Needed watched the visitors arrive. She turned her attention to the _Defiant_ , and with a careful eye, she studied its features.

The ship's hull was painted black from prow to stern, and a flag flew high on a mast mounted on the superstructure. Zooming in, she saw the Marauder's Sigil - a broken chain, surrounded by flames, coloured black with a blue blackground. The superstructure had a set of three smokestacks, with a bridge protruding prominently at the front. All along the sides of the ship were some extendable slides - presumably to aid in deployment or escape? The only weapons she could see were two prominent, double-barreled turrets mounted on either end of the vessel.

Compared to Magician's recently acquired ships, it was...rather pitiful. The destroyers ( _Dragon_ -Class, she had been told) were bigger than it; the _Defiant_ reaching at a hundred and seventy metres while the Destroyers ended at two hundred and ten. The Carrier itself dwarfed the _Defiant_ , reaching more than one and a half times the _Defiant_ 's length, and over twice the height.

Rally felt her gestalt sniff at the calculations. While the _Defiant_ was famed for being Marauder-Of-The-Grand-Pacific's personal flagship - the place where she planned all her cunning strategies - she felt that it looked... _insignificant_ to the captured human warships. Having been on them and seen their weapons and equipment, the human warships, to her, simply exuded a sense of power the _Defiant_ lacked.

Besides, she preferred the sharp angular surfaces of the human ships to the soft curves of the Abyssal warship.

Turning her attention to her own ground, she watched Phoenix and Magician prepare an attending parade ready for the Marauders. Well, _tried_. Phoenix was doing all the work, pushing Magician around, trying to find a suitable position for him, eventually leaving him standing in front of Juri and Yuri. Looking at him, he clearly wasn't pleased about the whole affair.

Speaking of which...she also had to make her appearance.

Using some of the base's material, she began to construct her avatar. Right next to Magician, a formless blob appeared, slowly rising upwards as she shaped it. The wax-like exterior slowly formed into the shape of a human body and solidified. A sprout of material shot up from the ground next to her, stretching and expanding into clothing that wrapped around her avatar. When it was complete, she pushed her gestalt into it, and opened the avatar's eyes.

And saw Magician's face, locked in curious disgust. "Do you always do that?"

Rally looked at him. "Yes - it's easier to keep my consciousness inside my structure than to keep it constantly in an avatar. I can easily move my perspective from here to there, and keeping an avatar permanently would mean having to maintain it. Besides, I can always easily recreate it at any time, provided that I have enough material ready at hand, and haven't been killed."

Magician frowned. "But wouldn't-"

Rally nudged him, cutting him off. "Where's Beacon."

A mask of irritation formed over the former human. "The slimy bastard has gone off to meet her superior." He snarled. "Apparently, she is going to 'escort' Marauder here, and help introduce her to Phoenix and I."

He paused, before murmuring, "Dammit, I should have done something about her sooner-"

Rally decided to admonish him a little. "Even if you could have 'done something', there was no way you could have prevented Marauder from finding out about what you did forever. You won a battle against a seemingly unbeatable foe, which means that whatever you did, it would have gotten out, whether or not the 'slimy bastard' did anything. So I suggest you to stop sulking and prepare to deal with Marauder."

"But then-"

Rally sighed, cutting him off with a swift elbow to the ribs. With an aura of utter seriousness, she hissed in his ear, "This is the Queen of Vengeance we are talking about, who can tear others apart with her words as easily as her guns. She's vicious, fast, and cunning, and her closest aide, if the news are true, is _worse_."

"Ow! Huh-?" A weak protest came from the man's - or was it boy? - lips, before dying as their guest arrived at the base.

Flanked by Beacon and another Abyssal, Rally could feel the aura of power exuded by Marauder. She had one large horn on her head, with long, sleek black hair flowing down to her waist behind it. On her neck was an elaborately designed choker, with the Marauder's Sigil set in the middle. She wore a dress that reached down to her knees, a pair of tight-fitting gloves with massive bracelets on her wrists, and a pair of boots with ornate lettering. She listened to Beacon as they walked, but her red eyes focused on a different target.

Rally felt him shiver slightly beside her.

Meanwhile, on Marauder's other side, an Abyssal wielding a staff that reached up and above her head followed. Her white hair was styled into a bobcut, with a tiara topping it. A simple white dress clothed her body, topped off by a black capelet and sash, with a badge in the shape of black shard clipped on the left side of the Abyssal where the sash began. Judging by her steps, she she seemed...bored of the whole affair.

Rally frowned when she saw the badge. _Isn't that..._

Meanwhile, Phoenix had walked forward and greeted the company, shaking hands and talking a little. From the brief snippets of conversation Rally picked up, she guessed that Beacon was introducing the two commanders to each other, with utter sincerity.

Finally, the company completed their small talk, and began to walk towards her and Magician. She felt him shifting a little, standing at attention.

Beacon spoke again, pointing to Rally. "This is Rally-Of-The-Needed, who is the caretaker for this installation." Rally made a small bow, placing her left hand right above her waist as she did so.

"And, this is Magician, who was responsible for masterminding the operation that defeating the humans." Beacon said, a hint of relish in her voice. Magician himself mimicked Rally's bow, saying a greeting to Marauder as he did so.

Marauder looked over Magician for a few moments, before a thin smile appeared on her face.

"So, it's a pleasure to finally meet you, Magician. Beacon was telling me about the way you conducted the battle and outmaneuvered the humans. I must say, it was indeed a job well done."

Magician stuttered a little before answering. "Th-thank you, um, for the praise, but I must adm-"

Sighing inwardly, Rally slammed her elbow into him a second time, causing him to let out a yelp of surprise. She then connected their minds, chiding him. "What did I tell you? Revealing your weakness is not an option!"

 _"So-sorry."_ Magician stuttered back across the connection.

If Marauder had noticed their little talk, she made no sign, instead making a small chuckle at Rally's action. "It's alright, there's no need to be modest. I understand that my...reputation precedes me, so you may be feeling a little nervous."

"Ah...yes...and may I ask, is that your...um..." Magician turned his attention to the other visitor.

In response, she pushed her way through, bowing as she did so. "Yes, my name is Margaret, and I am indeed the Steward to Marauder, her second-in-command and bodyguard. However, I am also here to represent the Sisters of the Abyss, as the Herald of the Abyss."

While she spoke, Rally checked her eyes, which were glassy and unfocused.

She walked over to Magician, placing her staff against her shoulder, while holding his left hand in both of her hands. "Indeed, the Abyss has blessed us in delivering a commander as skilled as the Queen, and in giving us a gift of human technology as well. I must thank you, for being the Abyss's agent of destruction."

With that pronouncement, Magician looked utterly gobsmacked, his face turning into a light shade of crimson.

Thankfully, Phoenix came to his rescue. "Marauder," she began, "Is it alright if we continue this in my office?"

Marauder turned around, before replying. "Yes, why don't we?"

The whole party began to make for the main base, with Juri and Yuri in tow. Meanwhile, Rally stared after them with a frown, as her body melted back into the base.

* * *

If there's something I truly, truly suck at, it's diplomacy.

Like, I definitely made a couple of mistakes when Marauder arrived, and I'm sure she saw them all.

And, Beacon probably already told her about my inexperience and what not, maybe even blabbed about my weaknesses and troubles.

Damn it all!

I tried to calm myself down as I watched Marauder and her entourage walk into the office. Already Phoenix and I were on one of the couches, while Juri and Yuri watched from behind us. Rally was probably watching the room right now. Siren herself wasn't around...which is most likely a blessing in disguise, given the Marauder's attitudes towards their former enemies...

I really didn't want to begin handling a diplomatic incident. Especially given that I was probably dealing with a Stannis-expy and her Melisandre...

"Phoenix, how do you think we should begin?" I connected to her mind and asked the question.

 _"They are most likely after you, so I think...we should just get straight to the point? If we tried to delay Marauder, she might get tired...or displeased."_

Phoenix sounds uncertain...holy shit, what are we actually getting ourselves into here...

Still, I got to at least try to find out, right?

Alright, let's do this!

When the Marauders had finally settled into the couches, I decided to open the discussion. "Alright, Marauder, before we begin...I would like to confirm why you are here."

Marauder looked at me, her red eyes scanning me intently.

"Well, isn't it obvious? I'm here to gauge, observe and check out the commander who so successfully defeated the humans, and even managed to get away with some of their warships." She looked out of the window, right at the port where the warships were berthed.

I gulped. Using my mind, I shot off a message to Siren. "Siren, are you still in the _Soryuu_ 's reactor room?"

 _"Yes?"_

"Get a couple more units to watch over the human warships, make sure no one from Marauder's fleet gets near them."

 _"Ok."_ I turned my attention to the guests, who were observing me closely.

Taking one nervous deep breath, I continued, "Sorry about that...fine, what is it that you want to ask?"

"Beacon here said that you were once a human, so where, may I ask, do your loyalties lie?"

...fuck.

"...currently, I have no obligation to serve under anyone. However," I pointed my hand at Phoenix, "I am currently working with Giant-Phoenix-That-Watches on a temporary basis, for an undefined period as of this moment."

I gave a half-answer; hopefully it would deflect the question-

"You mistake me. I meant, Magician, who do you serve?"

-well, dammit. Of course, I'm talking to a successful revolutionary here, what did I think?

"Well..." I kept my arms close together, trying to not make any distracting movements, "...ma'am, I only serve myself, for now." It's true though...I am quite the self-serving coward. Even if I managed to capture those human warships...right now I only have one obligation, and that's to keep the heart inside me beating - or my engine's operational?

Marauder leaned back, her face still a mask of indifference. "If you say so...well, may I ask, what are your objectives now, then?"

"None, for now, other than continuing to survive." I answered simply.

"Really? That's it? Then, Giant-Phoenix-That-Watches, what do you plan to do yourself as Commander?"

Phoenix started when she heard the question. "I plan to hold this area, in case of a second human invasion, just like Emerging-Leviathan." She looked at Marauder carefully, waiting for her answer.

"Hmmm. How would you like to form an alliance, of sorts, with us? With the threat of a human invasion, we have been thinking of expanding our patrols here. Given the recent incursion into your territory and the destruction of your base, I believe that it would be fruitful for both of us if you allowed us a presence on your base here."

I looked at Phoenix, and saw that her eyes had widened at the offer. "This...this is something I will have to talk over with some others first."

"Fine." Marauder nodded, then turned her attention back on me. "Well, Magician, I would also extend an offer for you. I would like you to join us, to become a part of the Marauders."

Well, not like I didn't see this coming... Still, I hadn't expected that she would reveal that so early...

"And why should I join the Marauders?" I countered. "Fact is, I kind of like my current position, well enough to not want to leave it."

"Really?" Her words were like a hammer, smashing through my poorly constructed argument.

Damn you, Beacon. I tried my hardest not to glare at the smiling bastard standing behind the couch.

"The Marauders," Marauder spoke, forcing me to redirect my attention back to her. "can, provide you with safe harbour, in case you wish to sit out a few battles. Despite Beacon's attitude towards you, we are actually tolerant of cowards...provided that they shape up to become true warriors."

"'Shape up'?" I furrowed my brows.

"Yes, our training regime. We are capable of creating fighters and warriors from any child we recieve, turn them into a powerful, potent fighting force. Since you have a talent for tactics, we can also teach you the basics of strategy, learn how to be a commander." She smiled.

"And? Will I be bound in servitude to you?" I folded my arms, leaning back against the couch.

"What a terrible way of putting it." Her smile dimmed a little. "But no. However, you are required to serve with us, patrolling the oceans, for a minimum of ten years. Afterwards...you may do as you please."

"How about...my ships, war prizes? I am allowed to keep them, aren't I?" Oh god, even now it was still hard to think of those vessels as mine...

"I'm afraid that you will have to surrender most of them. However, we will allow you to keep one...or two of them. We will need to study them, to understand more of the humans' technologies."

"Harrrumph." I made a dissatisfied noise. "Really? That makes me want to reject your proposal even more. Surrendering almost all my tactical assets is definitely not an okay price for me."

Silence filled the room, before Marauder made a chuckle.

"Oh I think the price is right..." She leaned forward, smiling again. "For we are offering you something very valuable, something worth just as much as those ships."

"And what is that?"

"Purpose."

Huh?

"Think about it." She spread her hands out. "As a human turned into one of us, I believe you must be feeling lost, right? You have no goal, no objective at this moment, other than simply staying here and watching the sea."

I said nothing, and she carried on.

"We can give you a purpose - a purpose to live. Our mission, our ideal - is to defend and watch over the seas, protecting those who suffer, keeping the peace in the world. You have heard of the Founder War, right? We want to prevent that from happening again, to ensure that there is peace in our time."

She made a wide smile.

"What greater purpose is there?"

It was only now that I realised that I was shaking ever so slightly.

Something to do in this damned world...with a purpose for the good for others...

But could I do it? Leave my old self truly behind, become 'Magician' fully and work for them?

"Then...then why do you have people like Beacon in your roster?" I whispered, trying to hold back my feelings.

"Beacon may have her methods, but she definitely believes in the same things as the rest of us."

I made no answer.

"If you think the price is too high, we can always negotiate it. I am not a hard seller. Although do consider, do you really need so many ships?" Marauder continued dangle the offer right in front of me.

I...what..

"Actually, we will need to pause our meeting now." Phoenix suddenly declared, and I felt some part of me collapse with relief.

"What?" Marauder spoke, before her eyes widened.

"What... _why is she here?"_ She spoke with disbelief.

"Who...is...that?" I asked weakly.

My rescuer turned to me. "Another vessel just showed up right near our border, bearing the Eye And The 8-Pointed Star. Its...Blackened-Crane-Of-The-East, and she also wants to talk."

* * *

 _Shit Storm_ _imminent.  
_  
Those were words I never wanted to utter outside the internet, but right now, those words perfectly described the situation I found myself in.

Worse still, I wasn't dealing with harmless human politicians, I was handling enhanced humanoid entities wielding battleship-level firepower, who would willingly turn their guns on me immediately the moment I slipped up in any way.

If I had to choose between being thrown into yet another battlefield or this, I would definitely choose the former. Hell, I don't even want to go through that discussion with Marauder ever again.

Hell, how are my thoughts even staying coherent? At this rate, I should have already been screaming and throwing myself out of the door.

While Marauder was gnashing her teeth, I hurriedly called up Rally. "Um, Rally, any more of that great advice...?"

Rally made a mental sigh, before replying, _"Don't ask me how to handle tensions between two extremely old enemies - I haven't had any experience in that. However, Phoenix should be able to do so; it's illegal for two fleets to start shooting each other on a third party's territory."_

"Huh? Do Abyssals even care about what's legal and what's not?" I asked with no small amount of skepticism.

A mental snort. _"Of course we do. What do you think we are - barbarians?"_ I felt a strange sensation, as if someone was slapping my brain.

"Ow! Okay, okay, I get it, sorry!"

The line went quiet, before Rally returned. " _Actually, I can tell you how to handle Blackened-Crane-Of-The-East, or Black-Crane. As far as I know, she rarely ventures out of Yuminominato, and among Creator's lieutenants...she is probably the most benign. Frankly, we never really heard of her until the Surrender. Since the end of the Founder War, she has developed quite a good reputation for rebuilding Yuminominato, to the point that some forget - or _even_ forgive - the fact that she was a Founder. The Marauders still hate her for that, and also because she probably took what could have been their greatest accomplishment from them..."_

Rally paused for a moment, and went on. _"Which is why I find her appearance here so puzzling. You see, there were human incursions after the war ended, but she never bothered to visit any of the successful commanders, even when they were visited by Marauder. She can't make a Fleet, so I have no idea why she would want to visit you..."_

"Maybe it's because I managed to capture human vessels? Or that...I'm human myself?" I asked.

 _"...It could be, anyways its better to just meet her first. I will go prepare myself."_ Rally finished.

I looked back at Marauder, before turning to Phoenix. "Do you want to let Black-Crane through? Its your call."

Phoenix looked at Marauder, then back at me, and nodded.

"Well," I pushed myself off the couch, stretching as I stood, "Like Phoenix said, it seems we will have to continue this meeting later." I straightened my coat, and made a beeline for the door, making sure to keep away from the Marauders as far as I could-

"Is it possible for you to not meet her?" Marauder spoke, with a restrained, yet dangerous voice.

I looked at her, and answered, "Personally, I would like to hear everyone's viewpoints before I make any decisions."

Marauder made no answer, and I got out as fast as possible.

As I left the room, I felt a great pressure lift from me.

Holy shit, what did I nearly get myself into?

The _Songbird_ cut through the waves as gracefully as a swan, its owner standing on the deck and looking to the horizon.

Behind her, Collector-Of-The-Stars walked up, her tail swinging side to side.

Her eyes landed on what Black-Crane was looking at; the _Defiant_ , Marauder's flagship, and whistled. "Looks like Marauder got here first."

"Yes, I know." Black-Crane was definitely not happy about this. Her expression was twisted into one of worry, and her hands were gripping her dress very tightly.

Collector sighed, and swept her eyes over the rest of the Marauders who were watching them like hawks. "And it seems we have quite a number of hostile eyes pointed this way-"

"Collector, I already have Marian around to state the obvious - _I do not need someone else to do so._ " Black-Crane hissed through gritted teeth, losing some of her legendary composure and revealing her irritation.

 _She really is nervous, or anxious,_ Collector wondered.

Behind them, Marian walked up. "Marian, are the gifts and letters ready?" Black-Crane asked,

"Yes."

"Prepare them." Marian bowed, and returned to the hold. For a minute, nobody spoke as they approached the base.

Now able to make out the figures on the base, Collector checked them. Phoenix and Magician stood together, with two more Abyssals standing right behind them. Other Abyssals stood at a far distance from them...and yes, Marauder and her goons were here, although they weren't with Phoenix.

"Hmmm...maybe Magician, or Phoenix is smart enough to not have signed on with the Marauders." Collector spoke.

"Hopefully." Black-Crane had clearly relaxed.

Collector's eyes drifted, and her mouth formed into a massive grin as she spotted the human warships, their shining grey hulls standing in contrast with the black metal of the base.

"I doubt Magician is going to let you on them any time soon." Collector's gaze snapped to Black-Crane's and hardened into a glare.

"Don't spoil my hopes and dreams, or I will do the same to yours."

I looked at the _Songbird_ as it docked with one of the berths on the base. For some reason, Black-Crane had requested to dock her ship with the base itself.

I wonder...what's up? Why would she need to do that?

As the ship was slowing down and anchoring itself to the base, I thought about its designs. It was a mish-mash of designs I had seen before. The hull looked like a WWII heavy cruiser, but with several components that were reminiscent of the Cold War, particularly the main guns...and a couple of missile tubes.

Didn't the Abyssals lack missile tech? Then again, this was the ship of a Founder...all the technology aboard it irreplaceable, the principles behind them lost and forgotten...

A boarding gate was lowered from the ship, and as I waited with bated breath, three figures disembarked from the ship and walked towards Phoenix and I.

One was wearing a red dress under a suit of armored plate. The one walking alongside her was wearing some sort of...jumper with a pair of heels and a tail swinging side to side behind her, and the last one, walking behind them...wore a set of human formal attire.

The group stopped before Phoenix and I, and the Abyssal in the red dress held out a hand with a warm smile. "Greetings, Magician, Giant-Phoenix-That-Watches. My name is Blackened-Crane-Of-The-East, Steward Of _Yumenominato._ My associates here are," She said, pointing out to her companions one by one as they bowed. "Collector-Of-The-Stars, Head of the Gatherers Of Knowledge, and Marian, my personal assistant."

...hey, did Marian just glare at me?

Phoenix and I shook hands with them in turn, thanking them.

Huh. I felt surprisingly more at ease with them compared to my meeting Marauder. Given that Black-Crane's group were supposed to be part of the former local evil empire...

It was curious, to say the least.

"While congratulations for both of you are in order," Black-Crane began, snapping me back to reality, "we would like to begin with the most important things matters. I apologise, for I am needed back at my post."

"So that means you won't be joining us in a formal meeting?" I asked.

"Exactly. We also feel that it would...be troublesome if stayed here for too long." One slight glance and I knew what she meant.

"Indeed, that is welcome." Phoenix spoke.

"Thank you. Firstly," Black-Crane spoke, before suddenly stopping. Moments later I heard her voice in my mind. _"We would like to apologise for any espionage we may have conducted on you."  
_  
Huh...that's new.

 _"That is actually my fault."_ Collector spoke this time. _"Our Circle requires members to give updates on any strange or interesting developments that have happened at their locations._ _Hence, Siren-Of-Knowledge, one of your partners, was required to tell me of you, what you've done, and your strategies. For that, I am sorry."_ With those last words, Collector bowed a second time.

"Ah, um..." I didn't know what to say. That...was really sincere. I mean...it's not really normal that others tell you that they were spying on you, right?

Eh, it might be currying favor...but I will take it any way. "In any case, could you make an exception here and tell her not to do so any more?"

 _"Of course."_ When Collector finished, Black-Crane spoke again. "Secondly, we would like to offer you some gifts, to thank you for repelling the human invasion."

"Gifts?" A feeling of anticipation came over me, and Phoenix and I looked at each other in surprise.

Black-Crane and Collector parted way, letting Marian and two other Abyssals carrying a large rectangular chest through. I glanced at it. It was metal, painted gray, with the Eye and the Eight-Pointed-Star emblazoned on it.

Marian knelt down as she undid the clasps on the crate and opened it. Inside were a set of files, some weapons, and a couple of...books?

Marian took out the books and faced me. "These are some books from our newest printing presses, all of which are transcribed versions of certain human books on military strategy." She handed one of them to me, and I looked at one of them-

Holy crap is this really the motherfucking _Art Of War_?! I flipped through its pages, and sure enough I found the chapters I so easily remembered.

Marian plucked the book out of my stupefied hands, and placed the books back inside the crate, and took out two holstered firearms.

"These are some leftover Founder technology, handheld human weapons that have been designed to use magic to hit as hard as the guns of battleships. Useful for self-defense."

At the last words, I stared at Black-Crane, who replied with one knowing nod.

Oh fuck, how many people actually know my weakness?

Meanwhile, Marian had moved on, pulling out one of the files. "For you, commander Phoenix, these are advanced schematics, plucked from our remaining archives, for various aircraft and devices that should serve you well." She flipped to a page and showed it to Phoenix, who looked through it and said a simple, "Thank you."

"Last, but not least, we have gifts for your accompanying bodyguards." She pointed to Juri and Yuri, who then stepped forward. "Some other weapons, made with stronger metals and directly imbued with magic." She handed a spear and sword to both of them, who swung them around, testing them.

"That is what we wish to offer." Placing all the objects back in their positions, she closed the chest, pushed it over to us, and returned to her spot.

I felt rather giddy. "Oi, oi, isn't this a bit too much?"

"Too much? I don't think so. It is an unwritten rule that visitors must always offer gifts to their hosts, after all." Black-Crane smiled as she said that.

I swear I heard 'checkmate, _bitch_ ' in the corner of my mind.

"Moving on, I would like to extend my own request first." Collector spoke up. "I would like to spend a few days with your Fleet, and perform an inspection and shakedown of the human warships."

So this is the catch? Both Phoenix and I looked at each other. "What do you think?" I asked through the privacy of our minds.

 _"She...is most welcome to stay...but it's your choice, Magician, whether you would let her aboard your ships."_

"Hmmm...I think...yeah, no harm done I guess. Just let me set out my own conditions."

Phoenix nodded, and she turned to Collector. "You are stay, but Magician has his own conditions before you can board his vessels."

"Firstly, you cannot take anything, and second, when I ask you to disembark, you will do so, regardless of what you are doing. Understood?" I set out my requirements.

Collector pondered for awhile, before she nodded. "Sure."

"Okay..." All eyes turned to Black-Crane. "I also have my own request."

She motioned to Marian, who stepped forward, and passed Phoenix and I an envelope each.

"What's this?"

"Given the recent human incursion, and the ones before it, I think it's high time the Abyssal fleets hold a meeting to discuss our response. It will be happening in a month's time. These envelopes contain the full details." Black-Crane spoke, as Marian walked over to the Marauders.

"I would like you, Magician, to speak at this conference, and give us an overview of human tactics, warfare and technology."

Oh...wow, thats...thats a huge request...

"Hmm..." I stared at the envelope for a bit longer. "Is it...hmmm...is it possible for me to get back to you on this? It's a bit to much for me to decide now."

"Of course. You may give us an answer when you are ready."

"Anything else?" I asked.

"No. With that, I'll take my leave." Black-Crane bowed, and with her assistant trailing her, she returned to her ship.

Well...that went well, did it?

I continued to stare at the envelope for a while longer. This was...something interesting, to say the least...


	19. Chapter 3-04 - Technological Survey

I sat in front of the computer that controlled the security systems on board the _Yu Huang,_ placing a bag of stuff on my legs as I did so.

Hitting the power button, I sighed as I opened the bag, and pulled out a gauntlet of sorts. It was about the size of my hand, painted sliver, and completely unremarkable - save for a button located right at the edge.

Pressing it, a holographic screen appeared over the gauntlet, showing a loading screen with some technical information. Moments later, it switched, instructing me to set the current date and time.

Which reminded me...after I went through and reset all of the ship's systems, the date and time had been wiped as well, which meant I had no choice but to rely on an mechanical clock salvaged from the bridge - which still did not say anything about the year, current time zone or location. And I still did not want to 'salvage' any watches belonging to the poor sailors who had been butchered on my orders.

Now that I thought of it...I could try connecting to this world's version of the internet, and download the details - no, that won't do. I would most likely reveal my position to the human forces, which would mean...a can of instant sunshine catapulted straight to my face. Not a nice thought.

Entering an arbitrary number into the gauntlet, I quickly ran through the entire setup procedure, entering some nonsensical information, before I turned my attention back to the computer. Having wiped away the security data, the next thing to do was to put in my own credentials instead, making myself administrator of the whole system.

It's quite funny - one of my dream jobs was being a database administrator, managing servers, archives and company secrets for others, ensuring the security of the local systems. Funny how that dream seems so far away, yet fulfilled at this moment. Then again, I had a lot of dreams.

...most of them stupid.

Going through a second series of set-up procedures, I finally accessed the system database. With that, I tried to dig up the operating procedures from my cache of pilfered memories.

After some grumbling, several missteps, and more grumbling, I synced the gauntlet with the computer, and had it equip that particular gauntlet with admiral-level credentials, allowing its user access to every single room and compartment on the ship. With that done, I slipped the gauntlet onto my left arm. It felt surprisingly comfortable, with the insides lined with some sort of...foam? Not to mention that it was really lightweight.

I shrugged it off. Whatever functions it had other than locking or unlocking doors, I could investigate later. Turning my attention back to the computer, I began modifying the security systems on the ship, deactivating any bio-metric locks it had and setting the doors to unlock for appropriate keycards or devices - like mine. I did stare at a 'fairy verification' function option - what was that?

Which reminded me - having too many locks could impede any future abyssal crew members in their movements. I'd also need to replace some of the doors that the Abyssals had torn through.

Whatever - those problems could be handled later, when these ships had to sail.

That said, I let out a long irritated sigh at the thought of all the other administrative work I had yet to deal with. Reforming the fleet, activating the other ship's security systems...hell, I haven't had time to explore the ships themselves, or even look into the history of this world, thanks to the constant pestering of Abyssals of every shape, size and personality!

Not to mention the sudden diplomatic affairs...through it was surprising how fast that situation had resolved itself.

After Black-Crane's departure, Marauder had tried again for a second meeting, but I rejected her second offer, and politely asked her to leave. She complied, and even took Beacon with her...but I got the feeling that by rejecting her I would definitely invite trouble from the Marauders in the future...

Feeling the weight of responsibility hoisted on one's shoulders is not fun. Why couldn't I go back to be an irresponsible teenager?

I proceeded to program some of the spare keycards I found, so that Phoenix or Siren could have access even with the new security protocols.

 _"Hello, Magician."  
_  
The voice of Collector-Of-The-Stars filled my mind, interrupting me for a second. "Yes, Collector? I assume you want to begin inspecting on the ships?"

 _"Why, yes. I was hoping we could begin immediately~?_ "

I snickered. "Eager beaver, aren't you? Thing is, you're going to have to wait for at least a few hours. I'm in the midst of reconfiguring some key computers on the ships, and then you'll have to wait for me to perform my own rundown of the ships themselves. I haven't had time to do so."

 _"Awww, that is disappointing. I was hoping you would reveal some of your magic tricks immediately."_

"A true magician never reveals his tricks." Pausing to enter a last bit of data into the computer, I continued, "Anyway's, I believe you could try talking to your underling while waiting. She's been stuck in one of the destroyers for quite a while already, going mad over the nuclear fusion reactor. Also, she could tell you about the missiles we created." I said that last bit with some smugness.

And here I couldn't help but giggle at the thought of Siren as a NEET.

 _"What's so funny?"  
_  
"Eh, nothing." I hurriedly replied. "Just...something about your coworker."

 _"I see, I see. Then, what time shall we meet later?"  
_  
"Lets see...4 hours from now?" As I said that, I realised I still didn't know what time it was. "Oh crap, um, Collector, could you kindly tell me the time?"

 _"Hmm? Let's see, according to my own chronometer...2 hours and 34 minutes after noon in this time zone?"  
_  
"Thanks." I quickly reset the time on the computer. "Hey, wait! How does one calculate the time?"

Mirth came through the connection, followed by her answer. _"A magic trick, just like what you do, Magician."_ She cut the connection before I could respond.

...dammit.

* * *

"Where is he?"

Collector stood on the wharf next to the massive carrier - which, according to Magician, was named the _Yu Huang_ \- along with Siren-Of-Knowledge, who stood silently beside her.

She turned to Siren. "You said that Magician didn't let you see this ship after the battle, at all?"

"Yeeeeesssss." The small battleship gave a long, loud and irritated sigh. "He's so protective of the technology aboard the ships. I had to beg him for almost two hours before he could even let me have a look at the ship's reactor! And he only let me go on one of the destroyers, not the carrier itself!"

As Siren pouted again about Magician's secrecy, Collector approved of him silently. "Really?" _At least he has the sense to preserve the secrecy of his technology, unlike some of the more reckless Gatherers...  
_  
She thought of the 'interference warhead' that Magician had worked with Siren to create. A missile that, when detonated, released a cloud of magically-charged chaff that would inhibit up any magical scanners.

Impressive work - it looked and worked like one of the prototypes she had kept under lock and key since the fall of the Founders, albeit less advanced and more...finicky.

She did have to ask him about one matter. Why had he chosen to create a rudimentary jet engine for the missile? Half of it relied on extremely finicky magic and the other half was literally made from scrap metal...why didn't he use a rocket engine instead of the more complicated and inefficient solution?

Puzzling...

She heard footsteps, and turned to face them. Magician was walking towards her, adjusting his cap as his coat floated around his ankles. On his left arm, there was a strange sliver-coloured gauntlet.

Finally satisfied with his appearance, he looked up and stopped. "Good evening, Collector. And you too, Siren." He tilted his head forward in a slight bow.

"Good evening, Magician." Collector returned, observing him.

 _He's not as nervous as he was when meeting with Black-Crane and I earlier..._

Magician coughed before he spoke. "Firstly, before we can commence our tour, I need to tell you a few things - I actually haven't yet completed a full inspection of the ships, so bear with me if I make any sudden detours. I was delayed by a...few other things."

"Understandable." Collector replied.

"Secondly," Magician slipped his hand into a pocket and withdrew two cards - one marked with green tape and the other white. He handed the green card to Siren, and passed the white one to Collector. "These are keycards - you will need them to access the ship and certain areas within it. The colours mark how much access you have - white is for guests like you, while green is for 'technicians', like Siren. Certain areas will be locked if you have insufficient access, or barred with something if the doors are broken. Only I actually have the ability to access any part of the ship." He pointed to the gauntlet on his hand.

"Lastly, I would ask you to avoid the mess hall of the ship. All of the human...prisoners have been locked up there, and the doors are locked to prevent their escape."

Collector raised an eyebrow. _Prisoners...that is new.  
_  
"If everything's all right, we can begin now." Magician dropped his hands to the side and waited for her answer.

"Fine, lead the way."

At her response, Magician nodded and said, "Follow me."

He walked up the ramp that led into the ship, stopping at the entrance where a locked door was waiting. As Collector and Siren climbed the steps, he waved the gauntlet in front of a scanner, and with a beep, the doors slid open.

"Welcome aboard the _Yu Huang_. First stop, the flight deck."

* * *

Once more, I waved my gauntlet in front of a scanner, and the doors opened up to the flight deck.

I walked out of the island, with the two Gatherers behind me.

The flight deck was empty, save for a couple of various towing machines, some of which were lying on their sides. I looked around, feeling dwarfed by the massive size of the deck.

I took a walk around. Several markers had been painted onto the deck itself, most notably several squares of the same size, with the words 'Carrier', lined up along the sides of the deck.

Places to position aircraft carrier shipgirls?

A mental image came up of a certain shipgirl, aiming to the sides, holding a bow and continously shooting - or 'launching' - planes into the far distance.

I walked past those squares, heading for the bow of the ship, intending to make a circuit round the deck. I walked past the missile cells that were positioned in front of the island.

At the back, a larger, yellow square indicated the elevator of the ship, and I stepped forward-

A beep came from my gauntlet.

Hmm?

I looked at it, and saw that there was a prompt. 'Elevator Control - Raise/Lower'.

Ohh, I see.

I looked back at the Gatherers, who were inspecting the towing machines with some eagerness. "Are you done?" I shouted.

Both Siren and Collector gave it a second look, before responding, "We are finished."

"Right, this will lead us to the hangar, our next destination." I explained as I walked over. "Are you ready?"

As I received two nods in response, I hit the lower button on the gauntlet, and the elevator descended, moving surprisingly quickly.

I stepped off the elevator, looking around the massive room. Mechanical stations filled it, with tools, tablets and documents scattered all over the floor along with the occasional bloodstain. On the end of the deck there was a bunch of aircraft behind. IT looked like two types; One with the large, bulky shape of a V-22 Osprey with its engines and wings folded, though with smaller engines and a sleeker finish. The other aircraft resembled a Helicopter with the rotors removed and a single jet engine attached to either flank.

"Interesting." Collector muttered, while Siren bounded forward to check them.

I walked further down the deck. I wasn't surprised about the lack of aircraft aboard this 'carrier'. Their role had been taken up by shipgirl carriers, who could field much more aircraft for a smaller cost as well as space taken up.

Did that mean that there were shipgirl carriers serving with the airforces of the world, to save on space and cost? Then again...the enemy aircraft were all using late 20th century designs, so perhaps there was a limitation here...

Now that I think about it...is this ship called a 'carrier'? Maybe its actual definition was Mobile Shipgirl Dock or something...

"Magician."

I looked over my shoulder to see Collector looking at me. "Yes?"

"There's a question that has been bugging me for a while. How did you manage to chase off the Marauders?"

"Huh? I just, well, rejected their offer." I scratched my head as I answered.

"What offer?"

"Um..oh, yeah, you weren't there. Before you and Black-Crane arrived, the Marauders were trying to recruit me."

Silence filled the room, occasionally interrupted by the sounds of Siren's enthusiastic exploration of the aircraft. "And you just rejected Marauder herself?"

"Yeah. And I even got her to take her minion away." Hearing no answer, I continued, "Oh come on, what can she do? If Phoenix wanted her off her waters, there's nothing she could do unless she wanted to spark a battle. Especially over something as meaningless as me."

Collector remained silent, before replying, her tone measured and cautioning. "You don't just reject the Marauders just like that. At the very least, you should have tried to pacify them, or tried delaying, like asking for time to think their offer over."

"...the way you say that, makes it sound like Marauder is a petty asshole." Did I fuck up here badly?

"I am not sure about the 'asshole' bit, but based on my own experiences, yes, she is petty. One way or another, you should prepare for any repercussions. Black-Crane, as far I know, is the only one who can reject her and get away with it."

"...fuck. If that's the case, why do people follow her? And why didn't Phoenix tell me -"

"Some of us want a good ruler and skilled leader, Magician. And Marauder can be said to be competent, whatever faults she has. Also, I'm sure Giant-Phoenix-That-Watches and Rally-Of-The-Needed already warned you somewhat in advance about her."

Well, shit.

"Let's...let's just carry on with the inspections." I firmly pushed the issue to the back of my mind.

I walked on, and saw a shelf full of miniature drones, all encased in some container.

To the right of the shelf was a sign that was labelled 'STAND CLEAR OF YELLOW SQUARE AFTER PLACING DRONE'.

Hmmm.

I took one of the containers labelled 'D1-SCOUT HELI'. Peering inside, I saw a miniature octocopter drone, about the size of my hand.

"Where does this go?" I looked around, and found a stand near the shelf whose base was surrounded by a yellow square.

I walked over and placed the container inside. After I stepped out of the square, a small whine filled the room as the container rose to hover in the air.

The two halves of the container separated from each other, leaving only the drone-

 _-which, with a flash, expanded to about ten times its previous size.  
_  
As I stared in stunned silence, the drone gently settled down on four robotic supports that had sprouted from the floor.

This...this is bullshit.

* * *

While I continued to gape in shock, Collector pushed past me to have a better look at the drone.

"Expansion and reduction of volume using magic?" She walked around the station, running fingers over the drones. "Do you know anything about this, Magician?"

I snapped out of my stupor, before shaking my head. "Don't ask me about anything pertaining to magic. I have absolutely no clue on that subject matter."

"I see. Then, do you think you could undo the process?"

I fumbled with the gauntlet. "Give me a moment..."

A few moments later, I got the gauntlet to connect with the station, and sent a short command. The whining sounds started up again, and the drone began to shrink, before it was re-encased in the shell of its container.

I plucked it out of the holder and returned it to the shelf it came from. "Well, shall we move on?" I looked at Collector, who had the look of a scientist taking mental notes, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Lead the way."

* * *

"Where the hell is the ammo pod?"

After exiting the hangar bay, our little group made a beeline for the exterior areas, looking for the point defense weapons that had so magnificently saved my ass in the previous battle.

As the red hue of the evening light washed over us, I frowned as I stared at the multi-barreled, rotary cannon of the CIWS. The whole system was mounted on the left side of a rotating turret mount, with the cannon itself mounted on a vertical-axis mount. To the right side of the system was a room that presumably held the local ammo store or crew.

I thought I could quickly point out where I had gotten the idea of 'spraying bullets at a missile' from, but the fact that the crucial component of the system was missing started to irritate me, for _some_ reason, hence causing the tour to stall.

"Ammo pod?"

"Yeah." I tapped my head while gazing at the cannon. "You need a lot of ammo to shoot down even one missile, let alone the _insane_ amount of missiles I saw. Which means that you need to have a massive magazine or container to hold all of it, hence why, right now, I'm looking for one - it's usually very, very big."

I pointed upwards again. "And this whole structure does not seem to be carrying one."

"Maybe we should check inside first? Maybe they have some sort of alternate feed system instead of having the magazine exposed so prominently." Siren replied.

"That doesn't seem plausible...though we should check the insides first." I answered.

I made to move, but Siren pre-empted me, using her tail to grab her keycard and swing it at the scanner-

"HEY WATCH IT!" I yelled in shock and surprise, only for the tail to come to a screeching halt next to the scanner, causing the doors to open with a beep a moment later.

My heart resumed a beating a few seconds later. "Goddamnit, Siren! You nearly gave me a fucking heart attack!"

Siren simply looked back at me, grinning mischievously.

I really felt tempted to grab my sword and whack her with the flat of the blade, but Collector's insistent pushing and child-like glee dissipated most of my anger, leaving behind substantial irritation.

"Just...could you just not be so childish." I huffed, before following Collector into the room.

The room was small, barely holding Collector and I. As we entered, a light running along the walls flickered to life, illuminating the room. On the left side was an access port to the main weapon housing, while to the right side was a set of neatly arranged rows of identical devices plugged into a machine.

And no sign of any ammo feed system.

The irritation within me reared its head again. This did not make sense. Either I was being a blind idiot, as usual, and the ammo storage was located underneath the turret, or there was some spooky magic bullshit going on, messing with my life, again.

Frustration building up, I stomped over to the access port. Opening it, I expected to find the answer to my irritation-

-only to see that several centimeters above the cannon, was one of the same devices that I saw, this time plugged into the cannon itself. A digital counter on the device read '75504'.

I frowned. What did that mean?

I walked back to the machine, which Collector had still been observing. I looked around for any clues on their true purpose, but received none.

Collector grabbed one of the devices and pulled it free off the machine. It made a beeping noise, and she looked at it closely. Now that I had a closer look, it looked to be the size of a brick, and narrower around the end that was plugged into the machine. The screen that was on its side had lit up, and the light along the side had turned off.

"Any clue?" I asked as Collector looked over it.

"No." She answered as she pressed a button on its side, causing a hatch located on the smaller side of the device to open.

"Hmmm." Peering down the hatch for a bit, she muttered, "I don't see anything..."

"Maybe we should shake it?"

"Good idea." Collector turned over the device-

-and a series of cannon shells flowed out of it, clattering as they hit the floor.

"Whoa!" She quickly flipped the device back around, and both of us stared stupified at the floor, which was filled with cannon shells, and definitely way, way too much ammunition for the device in Collector's hands to store.

"Bullshit." I breathed.

"No way..." Collector agreed, amazed.

* * *

So, today on the list of bullshit things humans can do, what have I covered?

Firstly, they can shrink stuff and expand stuff, as well as reduce and increase mass at the same time.

Secondly, they can make use of dimensional pockets. Holding all sorts of ammunition, from cannon shells and missiles to the chemical reagent for lasers. Talk about having a hundred and one logistical problems solved at once.

I sighed forlornly to myself, even as the three of us made our way to a certain room. Earlier on, I stumbled across a computer that still had a full floor plan of the ship, which was nothing out of the ordinary...except that the floorplan had a room that wasn't labelled at all.

It had been kept empty, isolated, for some reason.

Which was why we were making our way to it.

I mean, what other strange things could I see today? Barely half the ship explored, and I already paid witness to so many transgressions of the laws of physics that I could practically hear Einstein or Newton crying.

I stopped short of the doors to the room when I spotted them. They had been pried open with considerable force, and their wreckage had been scattered over the floor. The door mechanisms, exposed to air, flickered and sparked with electric current.

Rally's work...which was an even stronger indicator that something important must have been in here.

Something valuable.

I slowly stepped past the threshold of the doors into the room and stopped.

The death and destruction left by the raid was more prevalent here than anywhere else on the ship. Over here, I saw even more blood and scattered paperwork. Over there, smashed machinery and broken weaponry.

But on one side of the room, a strange sight greeted me.

A supercomputer array sat there, its systems and machinery completely inert - but what was truly astounding was the strange device surrounding it. A ring of machinery I could not even begin to understand, it had various wires snaking around it, with the sound of multiple radiators working together resonating through the room.

Most bizarre however, was that above and around said ring was a continuously pulsing lime-green bubble, a wave of light passing through it every few seconds.

What was this?

As I stepped forward to examine it closer, I heard the rustling of paper as Collector rifled through the papers scattered around.

"'Project Shrine-Maiden'...'Large-Scale Battlefield Tactical Magic Influence System..."

* * *

 **[NieR OST: The Ultimate Weapon]**

My hands flew up in frustration.

"Conceptual Magic...Signal Translator...what the fuck does this all mean?!"

I swore again and again as I ran my eyes over a for the third time that was currently displayed on a computer screen in front of me. Each time I read it, I grew even more confused and frustrated.

While I frantically tried to comprehend what could possibly be some Lovecraftian horror-machine, Siren and Collector were busy picking up and sorting through the papers scattered about the room.

Rubbing my eyes and head, I took a deep breath and tried yet again, reading the words out as I went. "The objective of 'Project Shrine-Maiden'...is to create a 'Magic Influence System' that can be carried on a capital ship, such as a Mobile Assault Firebase."

"Well that's all fine, if you could be more specific on what the hell is a 'Magic-Influence System'..." I muttered, before continuing to read. "Field tests at Yokosuka and Incheon using the Stage III Prototype proved the feasibility of such a system. However, due to severe hardware and software limitations, such as the long cooldown times in between spell casting as well as the limitation on spells used, the S3 Prototypes cannot be considered for military use, especially on military vessels."

"Hence, 'Project Shrine-Maiden is meant to solve such problems that would allow 'Magic Influence Systems' to be deployed in battle, thus giving command officers access to wide-area support magic."

I stopped there. Guess actually sitting down and reading the report end to end helps...

But seriously, what the fuck.

The massive array located next to me...is probably some sort of superweapon that popped out of one of the strategy games I played in the past. If I read it right, it works like some sort of magic wand, just in the form of a massive supercomputer array and...ring thingy that would be installed on ships, and used to activate...certain spells in the middle of battles.

Probably something like what Beacon did in the previous battle.

Thing is, what could it really do? What kind of terrible power could it unleash? I scrambled to look at the mechanics, and simply could not comprehend them. It spoke of using a magic called 'Conceptual Magic'...like running...certain calculations through the array...which would interact with the universe using the ring-like device, called a 'Signal Translator', which acted like a communicator...or transceiver of some sort.

One thing was for certain - Siren definitely did not cover this in her dossier on magic.

Arrrrrrggggghhhhh!

I leaned on the chair at the terminal, arching my back and head to look at the two Gatherers busy...gathering papers. "Oi, do you two have any ideas on how this miserable contraption works?"

Both of them walked over holding messy piles of paper in their hands, and Collector spoke, "We are still busy reading through these...so why don't you give a rundown on what you learned first?"

I turned around to face them properly. "Sure. Basically, the two machines there form a device that is used to cast magic spells. If I'm not wrong, those spells are wide-area spells that are meant to support human forces on the battlefield in multiple ways. What ways they are, I don't know. They work on a whole new branch of magic that Siren has never mentioned to me at all, and lastly, this apparently is an experimental weapon pushed out for testing...hang on a sec, why would they do that?"

"Pushing out experimental weapons for testing is uncommon, but not unheard of..."

"Yeah, that's true, but now that I think of it...what was their overall strategic plan in that case? Why launch an invasion into the oceans, and with _this-_ " I pointed at the supercomputer array, "-onboard? If they did so they must have believed that they would be able to retrieve it easily...dammit, its hard to understand their actions..."

Collector and Siren looked at each other and shrugged simultaneously.

"Personally, I consider myself a scientist, not a strategist of any sort. I will admit to not having a clue on the humans' objectives." Collector spoke, biting her lip.

"Me neither." Siren admitted.

"Well, fine then...do you have any clue on how this thing works? As in, its mechanics or the magic it runs off?" I asked.

"I looked through some of the papers, and I think I have a grasp on what you are looking for." As she looked through the sheaf of papers in her hands, she began to pace around the room, speaking with a shaky voice. "This 'Conceptual Magic'...as far as I can tell, involves overwriting or messing with the 'metaphysics' of an affected area with a spell. I accomplishes this by adding 'new' laws of physics, or directly altering the variables of objects within..." Her voice trailed off, before she reasserted herself. "I may sound skeptical, but that is because this is something I have never experienced before, in all of my experiments."

"Nevertheless...if all this works as it says..." She took a deep breath. "Not only do we have a human weapon that is terribly powerful, but we have also encountered a whole new branch of magic, something that is so separated...so foreign to what we know now. And the humans have a strong mastery of it already."

Silence filled the room. A cold, uneasy feeling began crawling up my back. "Can we...can we tell what it actually does yet?"

"No. I don't think the notes here say anything about what it _does_ specifically...I think you have to check it from the machine itself?" Collector spoke.

"I...see." I stood up. "I think we can always study this at a different time...shall we move on?"

"One last thing." Collector picked up the stack of papers she was holding. "If you wouldn't mind, could I take these papers? I would like to begin my own research into this as soon as possible."

I glanced at her. "Um...well, I would need something in return if I was going to give you those..."

"Price? Ha ha!" Collector laughed, "Fine, how about a single favour from the Gatherers, to be repaid the next time we meet?"

I thought over it for a second. A favour owed by the only scientist around... "Fine." I agreed. "Then let's continue."

* * *

A tap with the trusty gauntlet, and the doors to the portside shipgirl maintenance bays slid open, as the lights flickered on, one by one.

It was the largest room on the ship I had seen so far. Maintenance stations were lined up in neat rows, each station having its personal computer terminal, as well as some...robotic arms? Yeah, robotic arms holding shipgirl rigging or some other parts. In fact, a fair amount of shipgirl rigging components and equipment were scattered all over the place, most of them damaged or broken, with some intact pieces between.

As I walked into the room, the deafening silence of the room made me uneasy. Was because no one was here, or was it because I was looking at the scraps of its former occupants? As I continued to slowly put one foot in front of the other, scanning the place, I felt no small amount of loneliness. Perhaps...seeing every machine inert, their operators gone, with barely a ghost left behind...

"Magician? Could you help me out here?"

I turned to see Collector calling me, waving me over to one of the stations. "I need to see how this works."

"Sure." I walked over to check the terminal - only to see a single error message in red.

"Huh, I need to access a master terminal to get all of them working." I said, reading off the message. "Wait for me for a while, I'll go get it."

For several minutes, I spent time looking for said master terminal, finding it an alcove overlooking the entire engineering bay, and attempting to restart it to activate the machines in the large bay. As I hit the enter key for the final time, the whirring of machinery filled my ears, and I looked out of the window to see hundreds of similar machines undergoing diagnostic procedures, with the synchronized motions of robotic arms as they reset their positions.

As I watched over it all, a strange feeling of tiredness filled me. Plopping myself into a chair, I leaned back and sighed, then went over to the computer, looking through files at random.

And stumbled across a few files pertaining to the design and specifications of shipgirls.

Another important data cache left untouched by the hard reset...I see, let me look at it.

I read through each file eagerly. Piercing them together it turns out that the evolution of shipgirls had made their rigging much less reminiscent of warship hulls, and, under the hood, there had been steady improvements in both speed and manuverability, allowing them a cruising speed of 50 knots, in addition to magic booster systems for shorter bursts of speed.

Armor now incorporated new kinds of alloys and materials in place of older ones. Some I didn't even recognize, and all of them had been reinforced by magic, boosting their integrity even further.

The weapons they wielded were nearly the same, but also with certain upgrades under the hood. Basic naval artillery was supplemented with smart ammo and better targeting systems, allowing for better accuracy and hits on critical areas, while munitions like torpedoes and missiles had been also upgraded, thus allowing them to achieve more powerful blasts with their explosives.

All in all, just as Phoenix described, the individual shipgirl had been upgraded over the years to be on an even footing- or even better than - the Abyssals.

Most interesting were the missile-destroyers and repair ships, two new units in the arsenal. Support units, designed to operate from the rear, with the former providing long range fire support and the repair ship acting as field medics of sorts.

Finishing my reading, I leaned back in my chair, stretching like a cat. Each time I read about the current human technology, even with the eagerness I felt at seeing humanity rise so high, I could feel the weight of my troubles stacking even higher.

A massive weight formed in my gut. I started to shake uncontrollably, and it definitely wasn't due to the local chill.

The realisation hits me like a ten-ton truck. This...this navy or army of superhuman beings, with magic and technology as their spear and shield, is _my_ enemy...

 _"Magician?"_ I jolted as Collector's voice appeared in my mind.

"Uh? Yes?"

 _"We...are planning to move now, and Siren wishes to see the reactor she's been talking about."_

"Ah...fuck it, you guys can head off first, I will join you later."

 _"Are...you sure? I thought you wanted to see the reactor..."_ Siren's disappointed voice joined in.

"Later...just...just don't disturb me..." I muttered as I rubbed my eyes. No, enough...enough information for today, I keep feeling like...

...like shit, as if I only just realised how terrible my situation is again.

 _"If you say so..."_ The voices trailed off, and I was left to wallow in my own pool of bleakness.


	20. Chapter 3-05 - Freeing Souls And Minds

**[Really Slow Motion - Sunder]**

In the mess hall of the EACS _Yu Huang_ , several men and women surrounded a technician who was busy tapping away at a salvaged computer, with some other electronic devices scattered across the table he was using.

They were the former crew of the ship itself, now imprisoned within it. Over the past few days they had been attempting to find ways to escape their new prison, but to no avail.

The technician tapped the keyboard a few more times, before throwing his hands in the air, bellowing a series of Korean obscenities. "Sir, I can't do it. I just can't."

Rear Admiral Takahara Mizuki cracked his knuckles on hearing the tech's words. "What exactly seems to be the problem?"

"With all due respect, sir, let me put it bluntly - none of the terminals recognise our identification any more - the biometric locks are deactivated and our keycards don't work, its likely they've wiped the security settings, including our backdoor codes. There are a few other backdoors we could try, but we can't get at them because almost all the systems are locked down."

A cold feeling settled in the Admiral's stomach. "And therefore..."

"We have no idea what's going to happen to us, especially now that this ship is moving." The tech finished, his hands dropping to his side in exhaustion.

A sense of doom descended upon the prisoners. With the technician's pronouncement, they all felt as if the grim reaper had been let in, and were busy sharpening its scythes, ready to being the harvest of souls.

Whispers of fear spread through the room, with men and women frantically worrying their fate.

Mizuki looked at all of his men, one by one, and the blob of guilt and shame inside his heart grew yet even larger. He slumped into a nearby chair, his gaze fixed on the desk as he looked inwards, at his own helplessness and failure, as both commander and leader.

 _All of my men, my comrades, my friends and company...they are going to die, in the grasp of the most heartless of monsters, away from home, away from their wives, husbands and children, their families..._

And I failed you too, Shizuka. I promised to come back and stay with you and look after our children...I'm sorry...

Despair slowly consumed him, and he put his hands together, praying for his wife. Silent tears began to flow down the cheeks of the old warrior, even as he whispered verses in his native tongue, begging for blessings and forgiveness.

Suddenly, the tones that heralded a shipwide announcement crackled through the speakers mounted through the room, breaking the mood of despair. Men were jolted out of their imaginations, and they turned their attention to the speakers.

For a few moments there was silence, and then a young, hesitant, and distinctly _male_ voice came through it.

 _"Erhmm, erhem...crew of the EACS_ Yu Huang _, you are to prepare yourselves for departure immediately. Drop everything you are holding right now and standby for further instructions."  
_  
Shocked silence filled the hall for a few moments.

 _"Do I need to repeat myself? Don't just stand there, prepare to leave."_ The voice repeated, this time with some uncertainty.

This time, one of the crew answered.

"...who are you and why are you commanding us?" A crewman asked, walking over to one of the surveillance cameras.

 _"...My name is Magician and I'm now the current...commandant of this ship. Again, I request that you all prepare for departure-"  
_  
"You are one of those monsters, aren't you?"

 _"...I'm 'neither here nor there', if you may."  
_  
Silence filled the room at his pronouncement. Even Mizuki frowned at his not-answer. ' _Neither here nor there?'_

The same crewman began shouting. "What kind of answer is that? You are one of those monsters, huh? What the hell are you going to do to us, huh? Going to torture us like pigs, like what all the others did, huh?! Why don't you go and kill us all on the spot with your tentacle monsters? Come on, spare us all the misery you have planned for us!"

 _"Look, I'm not going to do that-"_ The voice tried to reply, but instead was overwhelmed by the voices of around a hundred angry sailors. Shouting filled the room, as they began yelling in defiance.

Mizuki watched all of it, and quickly took control. "ENOUGH!" He yelled with a commanding voice, and walked up to the camera, watching his men as he did so. "The enemy is effectively in control of this ship, and you are still antagonising them?"

None answered his question, and he turned his attention back to the camera. "My name is Rear Admiral Takahara Mizuki, commander to these men. Answer me, what exactly do you intend to do with us?"

The voice was silent for a few moments before it answered, its composure just returned. _"Glad to see that we can come to an understanding, Admiral. As of now, the ship is currently headed to a certain location some kilometers off the coast of Japan, where you will be released. In other words, we are returning you home.."_

Those last words resounded through the room. The sailors looked at each other, with astounded and confused expressions.

Even the Admiral was stunned by the words. This was like what an Abyssal would say, at all.

 _"I understand that you are skeptical, but this is as it is. The previous battle has resulted in many of your men dying before their time...which is my fault, as the enemy commander. Thus, I wish to release you and your men - not for any ulterior motive, but just to prevent any additional suffering, whether emotional or physical, by you or your families. Besides, we have no clue what to do with all of you, aside from letting all of you free."_ Magician sounded tense, but one could sense the smallest amount of sympathy and compassion within.

Mizuki listened carefully to Magician. The enemy commander was talking straight with them, a monster of the sea showing feelings like pity, or empathy, even to its enemies...

Unthinkable, but right now...

Mizuki swallowed. Even as he listened, a strange, cold anger manifested in his stomach.

"And what about our comrades? I watched my bridge crew, be stabbed to death by a monstrous entity as it captured me. How are you going to compensate the souls of the dead?"

 _"I..."_ The uncertainty returned to the voice. _"For them, I can only offer my own sincere apologies as reparations. There is no singular political entity that exists right now for the Abyssals right now...besides...if you say such, I also have a right to demand reparations for my side too."_

"Really? More than a half-decade ago, you monsters appeared in our oceans, took them from us and slaughtered our ancestors. Frankly, there is no need for recompense to your side, because we are taking back what's ours, away from the creatures that appeared thanks to some freak incident." He glared at the camera, as memories of his many campaigns came to mind, further adding fuel to the cold flame within him. "Perhaps you should consider your kind's reasons for existence, and the reasons for your upcoming annihilation." Unleashing his anger into the last word, he watched the camera, waiting for Magician's response.

 _"I...look..."_ Sputtering filled the room, before the speaker finally marshaled a response. _"Whatever. We have reached our destination already, so all of you are required to prepare for your departure, Head for the muster stations on either side of the ship, and take a goddamn lifeboat off the ship."_ There were a series of beeps, and the doors to the mess hall opened.

A click came from the speaker, indicating that Magician had nothing else to say.

Mizuki looked back at the cameras, furrowing his brow. He had nothing else to say either, but he could help but think about how the enemy commander was feeling and thinking right now.

* * *

I wiped my face with a towel as I watched the the human Admiral stare at me from the screens.

That meeting had definitely gone pretty well... There wasn't a riot, at the very least, and they were moving onto the boats. I didn't have any resources on hand to stop one, no other forces. I could have been overpowered if I didn't play my cards right.

I felt a weight lift off my back, my conscience clearing itself.

War was messy, painful...but a necessity. If I was going to end up in any more battles, I couldn't keep sulking over what I would do...about the deaths and suffering I caused. I should just take it in stride...and minimise it as much as I should...

Was that the best way to treat war though? I hope so...

About what he said...did Abyssals actually deserve annihilation for being what they were? I think not...

I leaned back as I thought. Sure, they did appear as monsters, and wantonly attacked humans...but as Phoenix said, the Abyssals weren't even sentient back then, and they _were_ monsters in every sense of the word. I don't think the older Abyssals deserved to be punished over their feral nature, and neither should the newer ones suffer the punishment meant for their forebears...

Maybe the oceans did deserve to return to human hands...but did that necessitate the annihilation of all Abyssals?

Then again, such matters were outside my control... but what did it say about me?

Did I feel better about being an Abyssal now? Did I feel better about fighting for them?

...I think I do feel better about being one, for Abyssals are somewhat like humans now. There's Phoenix, Siren, the Secretaries...I dunno, but they seem nice either way...I don't know whether or not I should fight for them.

I sighed as I watched the first sailor prepare to board the first lifeboat.

Good luck to them, may there be happy things waiting for them...


	21. Chapter 3-06 - Departure

**A/N: Sorry about the late release. The whole of June I haven't had time to update due to exams.**

 **Also, Chapter 3-08 can't be updated together in this round, frustratingly due to my beta giving up and being unable to find a new one. If you want to read a raw and unedited chapter, you can find it on Spacebattles/Sufficient Velocity Forums.**

 **But in the meantime, enjoy!**

 **-MagicianX26**

* * *

It had been half a month since the meetings with the Marauders and the envoys from _Yumenominato_ , and the Abyssal base had become a hive of activity as its occupants prepared for the departure of the _Yu Huang._

Some of them were helping to load supplies or acting as temporary crew for the ship, while others stood near the docks to see the strange human vessel in action.

From the command tower, Phoenix watched over it all as she adjusted her outfit. In place of the capelet that normally adorned her shoulders, she now wore a long traveling cloak, that extended down to her ankles, and was adorned with some intricate patterns along the edges. As she adjusted the clasp that pinned it in place, her mind briefly wandered to its origins. It had been a gift, from Leviathan when the latter had been recruiting in _Yumenominato_ -

 _"May I speak to you?"_ Rally's voice echoed in her mind.

"You may."

She heard a slurping voice behind her, and Phoenix turned around to see Rally's avatar forming from the floor in her room. Phoenix eyes widened, for usually Installations didn't manifest their avatars unless they had something serious to discuss.

For a few moments, Rally took time to polish the avatar, before occupying it, causing its eyes to light up.

"What is it? Do you have any concerns about your role of temporary commander?" Phoenix asked immediately, worried she had messed up the orders to keep the base operational while preparing for another human attack.

"Not really." Rally paused for a moment. "It's more about...you, actually."

"Oh." Phoenix dropped the commanding tone from her voice. Rally might be her subordinate, but she was also older and wiser. Whatever she was about to say was important to transcend the boundaries of rank. "What is it?" She asked, sounding more like a worried child.

"Just a few things before you leave, although this is really irresponsible of me..." She paused for a bit. "Why are you going to _Yumenominato_? You never actually explained your reasons, and I was wondering if you would mind explaining."

Phoenix let out a sigh of relief. Thankfully, it wasn't anything serious related to her command. "Quite a few reasons...although most are trival. First, its been awhile since I have been on the Port Of Dreams. And since Magician is heading there, I'm taking the opportunity to follow along at the same time and see the place again, relive some of my older memories...perhaps for the last time."

Rally nodded in agreement. " _Yumenominato is_ beautiful, even after the Burning. Especially when we are facing the threat of human invasion. It's a shame though, that you didn't see it before the Burning. It was a lot more beautiful back then, even with the Founders in charge of the place."

Phoenix nodded. "True. Secondly...I want to see if I could do some recruiting right there. We are currently low on manpower, given that Leviathan's defeat has scattered our main fleet."

Another nod. Phoenix hesitated, unsure whether she should reveal her last, somewhat embarrassing reason. "Finally...I plan to speak with Magician some more, try to get him to reveal more of his knowledge or fully commit to our fleet."

"Wait, you haven't actually talked to him much?" Rally eyes widened in surprise. "I thought you would have...prioritized given how...in demand he is."

"True." Phoenix admitted. "Thing is, he hasn't actually communicated with us much, especially since he released the human captives. I thought he was busy with preparing for the conference, since that he said that he doesn't like being disturbed while he is busy, I haven't even let Juri or Yuri bother him. But now that I'm going to have more free time on this trip, I think I will take the time to fully convince him, or at least try to figure him out. He isn't exactly cheerful the few times I manage to meet him."

"I see." Rally replied. "Personally, I see nothing wrong with your actions; you are a commander now, and frankly, I don't see much use in him."

"Why?"

Rally frowned. "Why? Well...to start off, he is of absolutely no use in combat. He apparently has no rigging of his own, and I doubt that he can actually handle the weapons Black-Crane gave him, especially given his self-professed cowardice and lack of combat experience. Next, his own knowledge of the enemy is rather limited, and he seems to run off guesswork more than anything else. The only thing I can vouch for is his strategic ability...and given his recent performance, I do not have much faith in that either. Not to say I do not care about him...but in my eyes, he is only important because of the human vessels he has under his command...and I say we could easily seize them with minimal effort."

Phoenix stared at her disbelievingly . "You would go and betray our benefactor?"

"Even if he is our 'benefactor', aside from the vessels under his control, he has no true power and is more of a liability than an asset. I say stripping him of everything and sending him to an early death would be helping both us _and_ him - we get human technology under our control, and spare him from the emotional and physical torment his current existence will subject him to."

"Torment?"

"It's hard not to feel it, his behavior resembles a wounded animal - hiding in other places, easily irritated, cowardly...and I can guess why." Rally paused, and shrugged her shoulders. "The truth is, I feel as horrible as a Founder for suggesting it, for I pity him more than anything else, but pity has no place in our minds if we are going to fight a war of survival."

Phoenix stared at the older Abyssal for a few moments, trying to get her emotions in order.

"Recruiting him is still your decision however, and if you do succeed, I won't harm a hair on his head as long as he remains a part. I'm just saying that if you want to recruit him, you will need to do something about his attitude." Rally continued, more gently this time.

For a few moments, there was nothing but silence. Finally, Phoenix asked, "Anything...else?"

"Let me think...no, nothing. Good luck, and may your trip be fruitful."

"Thank you."

Phoenix stepped to one side of the room, where a small black suitcase sat, waiting for her. She paused for a moment, and produced a notebook from her pocket, flipping through it.

"Is that-" Rally began.

"Yes, it's one of the notebooks that Leviathan used to record things...but this is one of the many copies she had not used."

"Ah, I see." An approving smile spread across Rally's face. "Emulating her, huh?"

"Just...trying to keep track of everything that has happened since my promotion to Commander. It really helps." Phoenix pocketed the notebook, and picked up the suitcase, heading for the door. "Goodbye, Rally."

"Good luck, Commander."

The door closed, and Rally's avatar melted back into the structure.

* * *

In the bridge of the _Yu Huang,_ I sat alone, riffling through notes and checking through the files on a laptop.

I adjusted my glasses as I looked through them; though, why did I still have eyesight problems even after being dragged over multiple dimensions and transformed into an Abyssal? This was weird...and depressing. If one wanted to make me completely lame, all he or she had to do was nick the glasses and send them to the bottom of the sea.

Man, this really sucks.

Like, really hard.

I paused for awhile, thinking, before flipping over to a particular file.

Inside that file, was a shortened version of a timeline I cooked up on reading certain files and documents I managed to salvage from around all the ships. It had been difficult, but I couldn't exactly look it up online.

It was very incomplete though, and certain terms remained a mystery to me, and would probably remain so for a very long time. Some were easy to figure out...especially the ones labelled 'First Wave', 'Second Wave', and 'Third Wave'.

Apparently, the 'Abyssal War', as they called it, was divided up into three periods, or 'Waves'.

The First Wave lasted from the start of the war, 2018, to 2025. This was when the Abyssals and their fog shrouding were seen and began by attacking human merchant shipping in small packs. This forced humans to begin escorting convoys, leading to the first military clashes between the two species. In that period, both humanoid Abyssals and magic were rare, and human forces were able to chase off, although not destroy, the Abyssal attacks.

The Second Wave followed, lasting till 2043. Abyssal forces greatly increased in size, and the appearance of humanoid Abyssals, the ambient magic that surrounded them, and their intrusion into human territorial waters became common. The oceans themselves began to go 'dark', with the Abyssal fog starting to expand and cover them. This was also when shipgirls started to appear, either through summoning or through chance incidents. Despite the disparity in numbers, human forces were eventually able to establish firm control over their waters. These routes eventually became the primary avenues of trade, and were protected by bases established and constructed along them. This was possible thanks to heavy research magic research, which allowed the creation of 'artificial' shipgirls, shipgirls that weren't drawn from past warships, as well as a few other developments.

After that was the Third Wave. Based on what I read, this was when the Abyssals actually 'got serious'. Unlike the previous two waves, this was not a gradual escalation. Instead, on the 21st of May, 2043, the Abyssals launched simultaneous, overwhelming offensives across the world. The Abyssal fleets contained both humanoid Abyssals, and the previously unseen Greater Abyssals, both of which exhibited new abilities. Greater Abyssals, for example, demonstrated the ability to use magic on a scale that could affect entire fleets.

The human navies lost a quarter of their ships/sailors on that day.

After that fateful day, all other attempts to slow down or stop the Abyssals had failed. When the Abyssals reached human cities, they razed them. Los Angeles, Shanghai, Tokyo, Edinburgh, New York, Sydney had been among the cities burned among the first assault.

It was a sign of things to come. This same pattern would be repeated, again and again, on coastal cities around the world. As the invasions continued, the Abyssals slowly dominated the oceans, shrouding each of them in their fog. Worse, began to invade the land itself. Very soon, many areas became 'Dead Zones', places where contact could not be established at all, such as the entirety of Australia, large portions of Southeast Asia, and the coastal areas of South America, Africa and Canada, their inhabitants long fled from the fog.

The aftermath of the attacks were heavy and damaging - the loss of arable land and trading partners caused many nations to fall to famine, the loss of industrial power caused the near-collapse of the economy, and the shortage of essential goods, causing a few minor wars over remaining material. These caused the death toll to rise even further. I still remember the horror I felt as I read the statistics - barely 4.5 billion people were left, over a third of the world's population were gone.

No wonder that Admiral had been furious...how did it feel to watch your command die and fall to mindless, powerful creatures, while losing your home and everything else in the process?

Moving on, the Third Wave gradually came to a stop around 2050, when the Abyssals no longer launched assaults on human-held lands. From there on till now, the year 2086, it had been a uphill battle for humanity as they tried to reclaim their land and water from their enemies, rebuild, and develop technology to better repel the Abyssals.

From there, gaps began to pop up, leaving me with more and more questions

First, what happened to the Abyssals that were left on land? Their behavior had become disquietingly mindless creatures...They seemed to lose any form of sapience, and only barely used their weapons when responding to human attacks. Heck, I just saw footage of a Wo-Class, like Phoenix, standing completely silent and unmoving as shipgirls bombarded her from range.

Second what exactly caused the Abyssals to gain sentience? Or stop their attacks on the human forces? Actually, what caused the sudden upsurge in attacks during the Third Wave?

I only had clues from what Phoenix said, about the recent rise and fall of the Founders, and some small details about their gaining of sapience. There was still a huge hole in between those events...

Not to mention _what_ caused the appearance of Abyssals in the first place, or _what_ were they really. Were they the vengeful spirits of warships? Because, as I read the history and descriptions, they seemed more like...aliens?

I scratched my head. My amateur historian senses were tingling. Part of me really wanted to get to the bottom of this...

Heh, maybe I could roam the oceans, stealing and gathering data from wrecks, other Abyssals, or what not...

A voice in my head interrupted my reverie.

 _"Magician?"  
_  
"Hmmm? Yes, Siren?"

 _"Could you come down to the reactor room? I need to ask you more questions."  
_  
I looked at the laptop. Fuck it, there isn't a need to steer the ship, and I could use a chat.

...I actually haven't talked much to the others, have I? Too busy reading and compiling records...

"Sure, why not. I'm coming down now." I stood up and stretched, pulling myself from side to side, before heading for the door to the corridor.

I whistled a tune as I walked down the corridors of the ship. At least, I tried - the only thing that really came out was some badly-tuned notes.

I shrugged. While I had a high-tech electronic device attached to my right forearm, I was far from using it effectively, and the lack of internet access meant that I could not install any new applications on it. It also meant I could no longer surf the internet on the go. Or get music to listen to.

As I passed doors and passageways, I noted the lack of any sound other than the constant rumbling of the engines beneath me. While I had long gotten used to it, the silence and loneliness associated with it still...affected me to some extent.

Couldn't be helped though, the ship was probably designed for a crew count in the thousands, and only around a handful of Abyssals had elected to join Phoenix for the trip.

Further down, I spotted another Abyssal, also exploring the ship. She spotted me, and gave me a shallow bow in acknowledgment.

With a smile, I returned the gesture and went on my merry way.

* * *

The double doors to the reactor room slid open, and I paused for a moment as I stepped in, looking at its prime occupant.

Suspended in midair, the core of the structure consisted of a single sphere with 12 large rods jutting out of it, positioned at equal angles to each other, 6 on each hemisphere. Another device sat directly on top of the sphere like a hat, and two massive pipes ran out of the sphere itself. Large and small wires alike extended into and away from the reactor, placed and arranged neatly in metal rails that hung from the ceiling. A ring of computer consoles surrounded its base.

The reactor filled the room with a low hum, radiating a sense of power.

I stood there, admiring it for a few moments-

"Ah! There you are!" Siren came scurrying out from behind the reactor, the same eager grin on her face.

"So..." I stepped forward slowly, turning my gaze back to the reactor, "What's so important that you had to call me down here?"

"A few things!" She jumped, forcing me to turn my attention back to her. "Just follow me please~"

She grabbed me by my arm, and pulled me over to a seat next to one of the consoles. I made a squeak of protest at the rough gesture, only to be ignored.

"First," Siren began, dumping herself onto another chair, "could you tell me how that reactor works?"

"How does that reactor work..." I rubbed my chin as I pondered the question. "Well...I think it heats up water, turning it into steam -"

"No no no, I already know that !" Siren grabbed a paper from the table, pointing at it irritably. I glanced at it; it was a diagram of the ship's propulsion system.

"What I want to know is how the reactor produces the heat...how does it create...that...that 'reaction'-"

"Oh I see what you mean," I slapped myself mentally. "You are talking about the fusion reaction itself..."

"Yes, yes!"

"Ok...but weren't there notes to tell you how this works? You could have read them..."

"There weren't many, and I can't just learn everything from maintenance notes! Although there was some things I found...like 'D-T reaction' or 'operating lifespan'..."

Wait...

"Those are probably specifications for the reactors." I paused for a moment thinking them through. "D-T reaction...that probably means a deuterium and tritium mix for the reactors."

"What does that mean?" Siren asked, perplexed.

"Deuterium and Tritium are isotopes of hydrogen, meaning they are hydrogen atoms with different numbers of neutrons inside them. A hydrogen atom normally has no neutrons, but deuterium has one and tritium has 2. When you say D-T reaction, it means that the reactor is using the two isotopes as fuel for the fusion reaction."

"I see...but how does the fusion reaction work?" The scientist grew even more impatient.

"Hold on, hold on...well, nuclear fusion is simply, well, smashing two different elements together, and when they fuse, or combine, the process releases energy as heat."

"Just like that?"

"Not really, no...you need to contain the reaction using magnetic fields...and the two chemicals must be at extremely high temperatures and fired together at very high speeds." I shrugged. "Truth is...I'm no expert on this, and back in my world a fusion reactor was very much theoretical, because we hadn't yet been able to make one yet. In fact..." I looked back at the reactor, "I bet you anything that magic is definitely involved in the process in some way..."

"Awwww..." Siren looked downcast. "I was hoping you knew how to recreate it completely, because I was already thinking of some applications..."

"Like what?" Immediately, I came to the obvious conclusion. "Big explosions?"

The look on her face answered my question.

"No." I said, firmly. "Like I said...you can't create a fusion reaction out of nowhere. Besides, the heat generated would dissipate extremely quickly. If you want a nasty weapon, you are better off looking at nuclear _fission_ , and fat chance of getting uranium or plutonium from the seabed."

"Fission? You mean splitting the atom, right?"

"Yes. It generates heat and energy just as much as a fusion reaction, and its easier to create anywhere. However, as I said, you need certain superheavy metals, which need to be enriched in some way I don't know how to do that, and we have a fat chance of getting the materials in the first place. Not to mention, I am not going to let a mad bomber get hold of the tools to make a strategic weapon if I can help it!"

"Awwwwww, really?" Swinging her massive tail back and forth, Siren made a pouty face, forcing me to choke back a laugh.

"Yes, really. Seriously though, why are you so obsessed with technology? That kind of mad scientist attitude...isn't normal, at all."

I stared at her for a few moments, waiting for an answer, while she was lost in thought.

"Well...a long time ago, I was on a Founder base..." Her face was shrouded in nostalgia, and her tone became melancholic.

I stiffened.

"I don't remember my birth, but I do remember that I was bad at fighting, which meant that I was often neglected, left to do my own things."

"So, one day , I managed to get a book to read. During a supply run, someone managed to sneak some around, and I got away with one."

"Inside were some descriptions of certain equipment or machines...it was small, and it didn't contain much, but...I fell in love with the pictures, the words, the descriptions of how they worked."

"Then, as I tried to learn more and understand, I started trying to write down my ideas and thoughts, sneaking paper from the supply runs when they came in."

"Then one day, I was called in front of the base commander."

"She asked me, "Do you love machines, weapons, and the like that much?""

"I said yes, and she replied, "Then I can give you everything you need.""

"I was taken to a new room, which had everything I wanted - books, paper, pen, a table and all sorts of things."

"I was told, "Study all you want here, you don't need to fight any more. Just bring me something curious once in awhile.""

"From then on, I stayed there, only coming out once in awhile when I was told to do so. I read, I researched, I tried to learn...and tried to create. I was...so happy there."

"As for the base commander...she would come to my room every few days to observe me. Sometimes she would take one of my diagrams and read through it, or ask me to copy it out for her. Other times, she would give me a task to do, like asking me to shrink a radar or modify a weapon."

"Once, I was asked to do a demonstration of a crude explosive I made, which...didn't work out so well."

"Even then, she wasn't angry, and pushed me to learn more."

"In the end...the Marauders came, and she was forced to surrender the base. When they searched it all over, they confiscated all my things, all my books, and forced me to leave."

"So I went to _Yumenominato_ , and I found the Gatherers. After studying under Collector for a while, Leviathan came, and I was assigned to her. And after that, here we are."

Only when she finished I realised I've been staring at her silently the whole time. "Oh...um...yeah, sorry for your loss..." I tried to cover myself.

"Hmm? Oh no, its nothing...anyway, Magician, when are you going to make your own fleet?" She asked, quickly switching gears.

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"I want to work with you! You have all the human technology under your command, and you taught me a lot! Please, if you do create your own fleet, please take me in first!"

Taken aback, I began sputtering. "Look, well, can we discuss this on another time? I have no intention of doing so at the moment-"

"Why though? I mean, you can do it now, maybe I can help convince Phoenix to let you go-"

"Enough." I growled, cutting her off. "I have no intentions of going solo at this point, and I don't like getting pestered like this. If I do create my own fleet, would probably be the first I'd recruit, but right now, that's off the table. Got it?"

Her face fell. "Ok."

"Thank you." After a few moments of silence, I made to leave. "Goodbye, and thanks for the talk."


	22. Chapter 3-07 - Rising Urgencies

"Hyahhh!"

With a forceful swing, a sword slammed into the shaft of a spear, causing the latter's owner to fly backwards.

Yuri readjusted herself mid-flight, and landed on the flight deck of the _Yu Huang_ with the grace of a cat. On the other end of the deck, Juri entered a pose, waiting for her next move.

Juri didn't charge her sister this time. Instead she stood and planted the butt of her spear on the flight deck, a new idea having formed in her mind. "Sister, since neither of us have yet won a round in three hours, so I propose an idea!"

"And what would that be?" Juri replied, still holding her stance cautiously.

"Let us use the weapons that we have been gifted with, and test out their capabilities! Same thing as usual - whoever gets the first strike, wins! It should be far more interesting than what we are doing now!"

"Oh?" Juri lowered her stance, thinking over the suggestion. "Heh. I agree, sister, let us try them out! But, you better be prepared to getting your face smashed into the deck!"

"Then you better be ready to fly!" Yuri retorted as she turned her weapon back into liquid metal, which flowed up her arm. When it had fully disappeared, she thrust her arms to the side and _pulled_.

Out from a dimensional pocket came a pair of axes - their shafts were about three-quarters of a meter long, and were topped off by a circular blade, beautifully crafted and polished, at the other end was a comfortable handle. Axes fully withdrawn, Yuri dropped into a runner's pose.

Across from her, Juri moved both hands to just above her right shoulder, and and an utterly massive _zweihander_ materialized in them., the blade around two and a half meters long, although barely wider than a clenched fist. Grasping the long handle, she shifted the point of the blade to her front and bent her knees, bracing herself against the flight deck.

Yuri charged, moving only as quickly as a normal human.

When she was barely ten meters away from her sister, Yuri came to a sudden stop, shifting all of her momentum into swinging her axes forward.

As they swung over her head,, the blades detached from the axes, and began to spin. Detached, they flew towards Juri, slicing through the air.

Juri's eyes widened, and she hastily brought her blade up to block the spinning axeblades. As they reached her, she barely managed to bat them them out of the way. Sparks flew and the loud clanging of metal on metal rang out across the ship as she deflected them.

Recovering from the sudden attack, Juri looked at her sister, and let out a shout. Clamping her teeth down in a grin, she hefted her massive weapon and charged.

Yuri flicked her axe-shafts backwards as a smile appeared on her face.

Seeing it, Juri quickly turned her charge into a roll, dodging sideways. Moments later two spinning blades sliced through the spot her body had occupied, and reattached themselves to their hafts with a flourish.

As her sister panted on the deck, Yuri took the initiative, charging foward and swung her axes downwards.

Juri quickly brought up the _zweihander_ , using its large form to deflect the axes. As Juri rose to one knee, Yuri tried to attack 3 more times from different angles, only to be blocked by the sword.

Finally able to stand up, Juri swung the _zweihander_ wildly, and it collided with Yuri's axes. The massive weight of the weapon, combined with the driving force behind it, caused Yuri to rise off the ground, fly back a few meters, landing messily.

As her sister staggered, trying to regain her balance, Juri was readying another strike. This time, instead of charging, she poured energy into the weapon, until it began to glow white.

Feeling that the power stored inside was sufficient, Juri swung the blade. In its wake appeared a white arc of energy, that was launched forward at a tremendous speed.

Seeing it, Yuri frantically dived for the ground, and the energy blade flew right above her, flying off into the distance.

However, even as Juri completed her first swing, she twisted her arms, turning the weapon, and swung it again, releasing another energy blade.

This time, it caught Yuri as she was standing. As the blade rammed her with no small amount of speed, the Abyssal was sent tumbling, somersaulting twice before collapsing spread-eagled onto the floor, her axes clattering as they landed away from her.

Teleporting over, Juri looked down at her collapsed sister, still heaving. "So, sister, do you yield?" She asked, making a sharkish grin, and leaning on the pommel of the zweihander.

"Yes I do." With a groan, Yuri pushed herself upwards. "I shouldn't have actually used those axes...they don't seem practical, even if flying spinning blades look cool and can do a lot of damage. Then again, I should have expected that when they told us that some of them weren't exactly made for combat. What did Magician label them again...? Ah yes, 'gimmicky'." She stretched her arms. "What was that that you shot at me? It's quite...painful."

"Normally it would be a flying blade made of energy that would cut you in half, but I altered it so that it would act more like a club. I can change the shape of it anyway I like in fact, from a spearhead to a blade."

"I see." Yuri tried to stand, but only managed a shout of pain, before collapsing back onto the deck. "Ow. Could you help me pick up those axes?"

Juri nodded, and placed her _zweihander_ back into her dimensional storage, but when she looked up she saw Magician walking over with one of the axes.

He placed it next to Yuri, clicking his tongue in disapproval. "You still remember what I said when you asked me for my opinion on these? Well, looks like I win the bet."

Yuri replied with a snort. Juri asked him, "Then, what do you think of this?"

"A _zweihander_..." Kneeling down, Magician stroked the flat of the blade with two fingers, an expression of wonder on his face. "Heh, you know, when I was younger, I always wanted one of these."

"Really?"

"What's not to like about a such a gigantic sword?" He stood up, and his expression turned serious. "Okay, do any of you know where is Phoenix? I need to speak to her."

The twins stared at each other, exchanging words telepathically. _"Finally."_

"You think the commander is ready?"

"She should be...I guess we should be ready too."

Turning back to Magician, Yuri finally replied, "She's at the top." Turning in the direction of the bridge, she pointed at the topmost floor.

"That's...not very clear. Maybe you guys can lead me there?" He replied, frowning.

"Sure." Kneeling down, Juri grabbed one of Yuri's hands and pulled her to her feet, before teleporting back and forth to grab the other axe.

The two twins exchanged a look, as if anticipating what was going to happen.

* * *

Walking past the damaged doorway to the ship's command centre, the Secretaries and I spotted Phoenix trying to use/get a grip on/handle/ the holographic map's console.

Detecting our presence, she turned to face us. "So, what do you want to speak to me about, Magician?"

I took in a deep breath. Ever since Siren spoke to me yesterday, I had been mulling over this question , and the thought of asking it now felt embarrassing. "I...need to ask for your opinion on something."

I felt the temperature in the room drop slightly, the moment I said those words. "And that is?"

I cleared my throat, trying to think of how best to phrase it, even as I spoke. "Well..." I began, fingers tightening on my overcoat, "I would like to know whether it is possible for me to record the history of the Abyssals, you know, the entirety of the Founder war..." I trailed off.

Phoenix gave me a look of complete and utter bewilderment.

Ah, shit.

"That's...an interesting question...but what would you want from me? My advice? Opinion? Some extra details? More information?"

"...the first and second." I answered with a soft voice. "I mean, I may be older...but you are the one with more experience on this matter...with this world."

Phoenix pondered for a bit before answering. "I think...recording our history...it's a good thing to do, to teach newer generations about the war that tore all of us apart..."

"Yeah," hopefully she would see my point.

"But, it would be really hard to convince others to tell the full stories of the war, wouldn't it? Also...if you wanted to write the whole story...other commanders could demand...things, like glorifying them, or painting someone else in a bad light..."

I stiffened.

Behind me, Juri spoke up. "Not only that...the seas have been divided up into over a hundred tiny little kingdoms...some of which do not welcome visitors, or have feuds with others. Trying to get to their commanders, or even enter their waters will be...difficult."

"Also..." Yuri continued, "It's been awhile since I've seen _Yumenominato_...but I'm very sure that there have been several accounts of the war, written by some of the participants. If you wanted to write your own...I think you will get some heavy competition."

"Shucks." I mouthed to myself, feeling very let down and disappointed.

"Besides..." Now it was Phoenix's turn to be hesitant. "If you want to write a book about our history...perhaps it could be something like a...hobby? A side project, while you act as a commander-"

"Goddamnit, here we go again. What is it with all of you asking my incompetent ass to be a commander?"

I heard a chorus of exasperated sighs behind me. "Look, as much as you all deny it, it's true." I turned around, starting to rant. "I'm just bad at it; I suck at diplomacy, I suck at command, and I suck at devising tactics. Everything you saw was a lucky shot - a fluke, nothing more, nothing less. Alright?"

"Really?" Juri gave me a look of frustration. "That was completely decided by 'luck'? I may not be a commander, but where did luck come and turn the tides for us? Did half the enemy vanish in a flash of light, or did some of them suddenly turn back because of 'luck'?"

"Also," Yuri added in a less angry, but just as aggressive tone, "I have seen many others, who instead of trying to use tactics to defeat the enemy, would have sent us all in a suicide charge towards them. The fact that you tried those means that you are better, at least decent in fact."

I retreated a few steps back, shock and fear having replaced my earlier irritation. "Hold on, hold on...why the fierce tone?"

"Why? Your useless and self-pitying whining irritates me." Juri snapped. "I have heard so much whining in my time, and it only serves to waste time. Yours is no different - like what Yuri said, you are so stubborn on that 'incompetence' of yours, that you won't listen to what we have to say before you start screeching like an idiot."

"I...uh..." All my attempts at rebuttal failed.

"Juri, calm down." Yuri put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Thing is, Magician, we want to discuss our next options, and if your stubbornness won't actually get us anywhere."

Silence persisted for a few moments, before Phoenix re-entered the conversation. "Before we continue...why, though? Why are you so adamant that you won't be able to do the job?"

I shifted about nervously. "That's...well, to put it frankly..."

Should I say it?

Do I trust these people to tell them my life?

"Ok, to put it simply...I said I was sixteen. The truth is, that age is still a time where humans are still children. To cut a long story short, I have no training or experience in any form of leadership, military or command position...not to mention that I never got much respect from my peers...so put it simply, I don't think I'm capable of the role."

"Wait, then how do you know so much about tactics, and strategy?" Yuri asked, confused.

"I don't. However, I read a lot about both, especially about naval warfare, hence I get the label 'armchair admiral' a lot. Either way, hence I think I'm not qualified for the role."

More silence.

"That still isn't true."

I jerked up at the assertion. "What?"

"Just look at Phoenix." Juri continued, pointing at her commander. "When Leviathan died, she was barely a week into the role, the last vice-commander had died in another battle. She may not have had a lot of training, but also grew into the role easily. And as far as we can see, she is doing pretty well. So, I don't see how you can't do it at the same time."

"Not...really." Phoenix said, looking uncomfortable. "I took it because...because it was my duty, the last one to hold the line when all others were lost. If anyone better would take the role...I would gladly let them have it."

"But there's no one better, is it? Or anyone who wants to take it, right?" Juri responded, looking proud. "So, Magician...I don't see how this is holding you back from taking the same role."

Was I really capable of such things? "Thing is, I...I, well..." I stumbled around for an answer. "Thing is, no one would think much of a nobody like me..."

"Well, since you were brought here, I can safely say no one sees you as a nobody any more. In fact, right now, you are already seen as an accomplished commander - so why not take this time to make a new start, one where you are no longer seen as a 'nobody'."

"Well if that's how you see it..." I still felt uncomfortable at the whole affair, and I fidgeted at the faint praise.

"So, what's your decision...?"

I thought over it for a few moments. Everything, in the light that the twins painted, seemed so much better, a lot easier to accept...

But there was something else...something that held me back...

 _"Purpose."  
_  
A small memory came to mind.

"Could you let me think over it for a few days?"

An aura of disappointment filled the room.

"I mean, this is something really, really big, so I need to take time to think over it."

As I looked at each of their faces, Phoenix finally answered me. "Fine, take your time..."

I quickly backed out of the room, trying to not look at their faces.

Turning around, I began to walk down the corridor -

\- only to walk into a waiting Collector.

"AH!" I cried in shock, backing away some more. In response, all she did was look at me curiously.

"Um, hello." I finally said.

"Well, there you are. Magician. After some more searches, I finally found some more notes, that I would like to take for my own use, in exchange for another favor."

"Um...uh...could I have a look at those notes first?" I asked.

She handed the sheaf of notes she was holding, and as flipped through them, I saw what could be design notes, blueprints, or some academic reports.

I frowned. "You know, I really ought to set an exchange rate for these. This kind of important knowledge is very, very valuable after all."

She shrugged.

"Also, I can't exactly have you raid the entire ship's worth of data - these are all rather important, and I could need them in the future."

"Oh?" She said. "Well if you want to copy them out by hand..."

"We don't need to - humans have a machine dedicated to such things. There should be one in the offices you went through..."

"Oh? Why don't you lead the way then?"

We began walking down the corridor, and I brought up the map on my gauntlet to begin finding the nearest office.

After a few minutes, she spoke up. "Magician...I could not help but listen on to that interesting conversation you were having."

I stiffened. "You weren't supposed to hear that."

"I know, but it was really curious. If you wouldn't mind, could I give my own views on the subject?"

I stopped to consider her words.

Ah fuck it, I could do with some extra advice..."Fire away."

"Right. From what I can tell, first, you think yourself unworthy of the position of commander. Quite humble, I would say."

I nodded, and walked on "That's...correct."

"However, at the same time...you are also too cowardly to also take up the mantle. You are too afraid of the risks, or the responsibilities."

"...and what gives you that impression?"

"That would be your behavior. A truly humble person would not be hiding away or vehemently insist on that point. However, a coward would."

She stayed silent, as if to allow me time to let the words sink in. "...true." I finally admitted. "So, how do you see me?"

"I have nothing against cowards. It's natural to be afraid of death, the unknown, or threats that one faces. And you did label yourself as an inexperienced child...so it's nothing shameful to be scared. If you weren't, I think you wouldn't have done so well."

I saw her point. "I see..." A sudden thought struck me. "Maybe would you allow me to be a Gatherer?"

"That's quite sudden...but however, no." She shook her head without hesitation.

"Huh? Wait a moment-"

She held out one gloved hand. "You are not what I'm looking for. You don't seem to be the kind of person to investigate the sciences carefully...and if you call yourself a child, if I'm not wrong, that means you did not complete your training, or education. Besides, you would be just denying your own potential as a commander."

I sighed. "So it's not just those two..."

"And that brings me to my other point: stop pitying yourself." Collector's tone turned deadly serious.

"Huh?"

"Whether or not you accept Phoenix's offer, right now, you are going to come into contact with the rest of this world. There are many opportunities, but also many dangers out there. If you stay in your own shell and continue to weep, you will only find yourself sinking into the deeps, never to return. Others will also grow tired of your 'whining', and will leave you behind while they move on. So, if you want to make a place for yourself here, get out of your shell and take the initiative."

"Oh...um," For a moment, I was utterly speechless, the fierce statement having stunned me. "Thanks for the advice-"

She cut me off again. "One last thing...you didn't accept Phoenix's offer just now, because you weren't sure whether you really wanted to support her, am I right?"

I stayed quiet, thinking through the question, recalling the feeling I had when Phoenix made the offer again.

"...maybe."

"Aha, knew it. Well, you better find what you really want to fight for in this world as soon as possible. Hmmm...maybe once you see _Yumenominato_ with your own eyes...you can truly appreciate our importance...our civilisation." Her words were filled with no small amount of pride.

"I see." Silence persisted for a while as we reached an office.

"Why are you telling me all this though?" I finally asked.

She looked at me, still holding a serious look. "Right now, we have reports of human incursions into our waters all around. It's not just the Pacific, the Atlantic, the Mediterranean Sea...there are rumours that the humans are preparing to attack. You already seen them coming."

"And?"

"So, Black-Crane and I believe we all need to prepare for that possibility, the possibility of all-out war with the humans. And to survive that...we need resources, power...and therefore I think you could contribute, if you only got past your own problems."

"Really?" I asked with skepticism.

"Yes. You have proven yourself, and from what I know, you are a good person. You have much potential, but potential can only be used if one wants to use it."

And on that note she walked into the office.

"Huh." I mouthed to myself, feeling rather troubled.


	23. Chapter 3-08 - Arrival

**A/N:** **Well,** **its here! Finally!**

 **Any comments of any sort, either use the review system or PM me on SB/SV.**

* * *

Under the setting sun, the inhabitants of _Yumenominato_ stood outside their homes, watching a wondrous sight.

From the west, a massive warship came, its sleek, silvery-grey hull scything through the waters, illuminated by the bright yellow glow of the sun.

Many Abyssals had seen warships, some of which were docked and built at their very own docks, or seen pictures of them published after the Founder War.

But this warship, the _Yu Huang_ , was completely alien to them. The top deck of the ship was completely flat, and was empty save for a set of peculiarly-designed aircraft that waited aboard. Its bridge had been moved to the port-side, a small structure that was dwarfed by the rest of the ship.

Long before its arrival, rumors had abounded about the size of the ship, flared up by the hurried reconstruction of one of the dock, and its arrival had proved them right. Initial estimates by engineers had concluded that it was indeed one and a half times the size of the biggest warship to leave _Yumenominato's_ docks.

Other parts of the warship left them even more befuddled. The lack of any smokestacks left many wondering on the nature of its propulsion, and the bulkheads on its sides left others puzzled on its purpose. Most noticeably, many felt the sheer amount of magical energy emitted from the ship, making some concerned about its onboard weaponry.

Many knew that it was indeed a human ship, and heated discussions were underway, their participants arguing over the capabilities of the humans.

However, only a minority wondered about those issues. The majority were more curious about the passengers onboard the approaching ship.

Or rather, one passenger in particular.

While the success of Giant-Phoenix-That-Watches and Beacon-Of-Pride-And-Power was very well-covered by many newspaper outlets, there had been a trickle of news and rumors about the 'true reason for their success'.

An individual, named 'Magician'.

Rumors about such a person had existed ever since the first news of Phoenix's and Beacon's success had come in, but it only spread throughout the city when the Sisters Of The Abyss had made a statement, proclaiming _him_ to be a denizen of the Abyss, a former human raised from the depths to protect the Abyssals, and succeeded to great effect.

Other than that, no other news had come, causing wild speculation among the Abyssals. Some bought fully into the mythical explanation made by the sisters, praising him and giving him a moniker: 'The Blessed Human.' Others took the more 'realistic' route, saying he was just another Abyssal, one who rose through the ranks quickly due to the commanders' desperation.

Some were more suspicious. They pointed to the 'former' human description - thinking him more as a defector from the mystical human nations, and bringing his fleet of 'captured' warships with him. Some wondered about his strange gender - the second male Abyssal in existence, there had to be something strange going on, they mused.

Lastly, the most paranoid proclaimed him as a future despot, tyrant, basing their claims with the few records of the leader of the Founders of old, Creator-Of-Civilisation, or labelled him as the reincarnation of Creator. After all, Creator was the only other male to have ever existed, and his story was similar - appearing from nowhere, only to crush his enemies violently and suddenly, winning impossible battles one after another.

Thus, a large number of the denizens of the Port Of Dreams waited near the docks or sent scouts to watch the advancing ship from afar, waiting with bated breath, to see the famed figure for themselves.

Through the streets of the city, a sleek, black automobile rode over black-tiled avenues.

While Abyssals main form of transport in _Yumenominato_ was the maze of waterways located around and beneath the city, there had been a desire for faster and more luxurious kinds of transports, especially for visiting dignitaries as well as the higher ranking officials of the Founders.

Which led to the design and construction of sleek, fast cars for that purpose. And the one that was speeding through the roads was the one that was specifically meant for Blackened-Crane-Of-The-East.

The lady of the city sat in the back seat, in silent thought, while her secretary guided the vehicle to its destination. They turned past a corner, and entered the docks, the gates opening upon their arrival.

They proceeded to the respective berth, where a large crowd had assembled, waiting for the erstwhile visitors.

"Mistress."

At Marian's call, Black-Crane woke from her thoughts. Marian stepped out from the car first, and opened the back door, holding her hand out to help Black-Crane to her feet.

At the latter's appearance, the hubbub instantly evaporated, the audience holding their breath at the appearance of the former Founder. The only sounds left was the slight whistling of the wind.

Black-Crane looked up. Right ahead of her, a path led to the staircase that had been lowered from the ship, with officers from _Yumenominato's_ small defense force making sure that no one crossed or entered the boundary.

For a few minutes they waited, until finally, the sounds of a mechanical door opening signalled the arrival of their guests.

Stepping out first was Giant-Phoenix-That-Watches, with her large hat positioned neatly on her head and the cloak over her shoulders flapping slightly in the wind.

Then right after her, a second figure emerged, wrapped in a dark overcoat, with a military cap positioned neatly atop his head, a bag in his left hand. At his emergence, whispers reappeared among the crowd, as they began to speculate on the identity of the newcomer.

The two visitors reached the ground level and began to walk side by side towards Black-Crane. However, while Phoenix glided across the ground with the gracefulness of a swan, the other figure was extremely tense, his back ramrod straight, walking very stiffly, and had pulled his cap over his eyes, trying his best not to look at the assembled crowd.

Aside from the hubbub, silence reigned as the newcomers slowly made their way to Black-Crane.

When they were in front of her, Black-Crane extended a hand in greeting. "Welcome to _Yumenominato,_ Giant-Phoenix-That-Watches, Magician." At the mention of the second name, the whispers within the crowd intensified. "I hope your trip was uneventful?"

Grasping her hand and shaking it lightly. Phoenix answered. "Yes, it was. Thank you for inviting us to this wonderful place."

"You are welcome." Black-Crane turned to Magician. "Thank you for accepting the invitation."

"Yes." Magician took off his hat and made a low bow, revealing a crop of messy black atop a rigid smile. "I do have my...things ready." He continued, showing the bag in his hand.

"Thank you." Black-Crane smiled, and far off to the corner, sounds of cameras clicking could be heard. "Well, before you begin any business at our esteemed city, please come to my office first."

"Alright," Phoenix answered, and Black-Crane turned to Marian, but not before watching Magician flinch at having his picture taken. Marian opened a door for her, while another car pulled up for the guests. Getting into her car, Black-Crane felt a rush of adrenaline, as she thought about what she was going to say to the newcomer.

 _Right...shouldn't be as hard as some of the others..._ Black-Crane mused while thinking of Magician.

* * *

I shifted about in the seat of a car, no small amount of nervousness assaulting me. Trying to force it down, I looked out of the car, trying to focus my attention on other things.

Like the technological and societal makeup of Abyssal civilisation.

For the design side...it could be described as anachronistic. To begin with, the city looked like something out of a Victorian novel, with gothic-style architecture and shophouses lining the smaller streets, alongside with arrays of vintage streetlamps refitted with lightbulbs. However, most buildings were built haphazardly, as if multiple styles were stacked on top of each other, and multiple intercrossing levels of roads and highways were common, with buildings even built on the highway bridges that rose slightly above the city. Not to mention that everything looked like they had been built by the Abyssal 'black metal'.

I asked Phoenix about the bizarre style of construction, and she had replied that there was meant to be a maximum size for the Port Of Dreams in the past, but the Founders did not foresee a massive explosion in population size when the place became more and more attractive for the Abyssals. As a result, buildings were planned here and there, with a little less thought given to their safety, causing the haphazard style of construction, most of which was done with the 'black metal' so readily available due to the presence of Installations. Even after the island was finally expanded, some Abyssals stuck to the old style of construction.

"Don't worry," She had assured about some of the...less safe ones. "None of them have ever fallen by accident."

Not much of an assurance, honestly.

The more well-planned buildings held a combination of aesthetics - some were tall skyscrapers, but looked like they came from the same gothic style, while others simply looked like one had taken a cathedral and an office building and smashed them together, before putting any remaining bits on the design like decorations. The tallest building in the city, in fact, looked like a stone spire that rose to the sky, with a massive sculpture of a 8-pointed star at its top.

Still, it _was_ pretty and picturesque, like what the Abyssals promised. If I had a camera, I would have taken a picture at any opportunity.

As for the technology I had seen...Abyssals did use all kinds of vehicles - the mental image was still weird, though - and they were definitely powered by combustion engines, the lack of large smokestacks being a clue. However, they clearly employed aerial means of transport very heavily, as seen from the many aircraft that prowled the skies, comprising of general Abyssal Aircraft to pseudo-jets, delivering both personnel and material quickly. They did use the waters very efficiently too, according to what Phoenix spoke about the Waterways - a maze of waterways for Abyssals to travel about the city in or transport goods.

What kind of things would be transported around by Abyssals? Pondering on that subject, I turned my attention to some of the buildings.

It seems, that Abyssals do have similar tastes with their human counterparts, although they did put more emphasis on different things. For one, there was an abundance of bookstores and the like, as well as a large number of mechanical shops - must be for rigging servicing - while there was a lack of more mundane things like parlors.

Probably due to different biological needs?

As the car passed some of the shops, I noticed that their occupants stopped what they were doing to look at our posse.

Speaking of which...Abyssals also had an eye for clothing too. Many different styles of black, white and other colour intermixed with metal and cloth...was nice to look at.

I leaned back in my chair, thinking about all the sights I had taken in.

A faint sense of awe flowed over me. Seeing the Abyssals having grown past their primal origins and create their own world...and here I was, at the heart of that civilisation. A civilisation, that did not deserve a tsunami of fire and death...

I knew what would make that tsunami, and...I could prevent it, couldn't I?

Was I capable though?

 _Does it matter?_ A small voice at the back of my mind, one that had been growing for a few days now, asked in response.

I closed my eyes, thinking.

"Let's see." I finally spoke out loud.

"Hmmm? Phoenix asked.

"Um, nothing," I waved her off, suddenly feeling my cheeks hot. Dammit, why did I say that out loud?

The trip continued in silence for awhile. Suddenly, I thought of something. "Hey, Phoenix, how are you going to conduct the recruitment? Just asking..."

She jolted in her seat. Turning to me, she asked a few questions in a flustered manner, making an apologetic bow. "Oh no...Magician, is it alright that I use your ship for transporting them? And could I also use the berth itself as a recruitment point?"

"Huh? Er..." I scratched my head, feeling my cheeks redden at her flurried response. "Umm...shit...I think..."

She looked at me, waiting for my response.

...fuck, I didn't consider that tangent. This would mean that I would have to do resets for each Abyssals...or hang on, I could just shut doors to certain areas, like the island or the reactor rooms...yeah, that will do.

"Yeah sure...I will just have to set out certain rules...but they should be no problem. And...if you want to set up a recruitment post, just don't let them into the ship until departure, ok?"

"Ok." She answered. "I'm sorry, I forgot to ask you this earlier..." Her voice contained a bit of guilt, and I felt a pang of sympathy.

"Nah, it's alright...I make that kind of mistake way too many times...besides, you have quite a bit on your plate, so you would probably forget that over the other, bigger detail." I paused. "Anyways, other than that, how are you going to conduct the whole recruitment exercise?"

"Um...I am going to put a notice on the newspapers...and I was hoping some others would come around, being interested in our recent victory."

"Oh yeah..." I mentally slapped myself. Gah, how could I be so stupid to miss that?

"Speaking of which...Magician, do you not like having your picture taken?"

Hearing her observation, my jaw dropped. "How the hell did you guess that?"

"You...flinched when they took one of you." She answered, nonplussed.

"Let's just put it this way...I'm a shy person." I looked away, feeling embarrassed.

"I see...but you can handle the conference, right?" Phoenix asked, no small amount of concern in her voice.

I made a face. "Well, I nearly died once, shouldn't be too bad," I spoke with some apprehension.

"Hmm...well, I wonder how you are going to handle the next few days..."

"What about them?"

"Well..." A smile appeared on her face. "I think everyone is going to be interested in you...and you are going to be chased by all sorts of reporters...and who knows? You might be cornered by some recruiters..."

"Wait what?" I asked, sensing a sinking feeling in my stomach. Phoenix simply looked away, her hand over her mouth.

"Shit," I cursed, and Phoenix chuckled.

"Don't laugh like that, give me some help!" I shouted, feeling scandalised.

"I think I will let you flail about in the water for a bit." She replied, a grin forming on her face.

"Oi!"

* * *

Both Phoenix and I sat on one side of a table, waiting for the occupant of the room we were in to arrive.

I looked around, although keeping to my seat in as a form of respect. Best to keep my curiosity to myself. It was pretty well decorated, with anything you would expect inside an Admiral's office. Bookshelves, files stacked neatly, a sword mounted on the wall, and a bird hanging from the ceiling-

Wait, _a bird_?

I turned my attention back to the animal. In response, it just glared at me with one annoyed eye, as if it was a noble questioning a commoner for daring stare upon its presence.

I looked away, slightly perturbed.

"Still nervous?" Phoenix asked.

"Not really...well, I am nervous, but I tend to look at everything I see just because I'm...well, easily bored." Again I felt the urge to stand up and walk around, and I fought it down again. Man, diplomatic stuff isn't really my thing, especially given that I have to fight down all my habits just to appear diplomatic. Ffffffffuuuccck.

A click came from the door, and I nearly jolted in surprise, though I barely managed to suppress it before turning around. There was Blackened-Crane-Of-The-East, moving gracefully and quickly across the room as her dress swept the floor, and behind her walked in her assistant.

I began to stand and bow, but she refused the gesture with a sweep of her palm, and settled in her seat, while Marian assumed a place behind her.

As she looked over the two of us, I felt sweatdrops form on my back.

"I must thank both of you to so readily agree to having this meeting immediately after your arrival here." Black-Crane began. "Truth is, I believe you all must think that this meeting is just a customary, welcoming gesture...but the truth is that I have quite a few extremely important things to talk about first."

I straightened up in my seat.

"Firstly... I would like to apologise for causing your 'summoning', Magician."

Wha?

While I was still coming to grasp with that statement, she continued. "The truth is - and this is something that concerns you, Phoenix - I had asked - or rather, ordered - Leviathan to head for the western side of the Pacific, to watch and survey any human actions. However, I did not expect Leviathan to suddenly come under attack, nor did I expect any of the other circumstances that led to your summoning. So I must apologise."

Finally regaining my senses, I responded rather gruffly, "Well, thanks for that, but the thing is, I don't think you should be sorry - I have no clue on how that spell worked, so in my opinion, nobody really is to blame. Phoenix was forced to take desperate measures and I don't blame her for that. Besides, what's done is done, and now that I am here, anything else I say would be just spilt milk."

The other Abyssals looked at me. "That's quite...nice...I guess?" Black-Crane spoke, surprised. "I would have thought you would be somewhat more...angrier? Upset over the issue?"

As if that was a reminder of my pain, a sense of cold anger washed over me. I closed my eyes, moving my hands slightly to the side in an attempt to keep my calm. Exhaling, I began with a controlled tone, "Believe me - I'm not happy about this, at all. It's just that any more sulking on my part will not help matters."

A short "I see." was Black-Crane's reply, and she moved on to another subject. "Secondly - and the most important reason for calling you here, you should know that despite all the attention you have gotten, you aren't exactly the first human to have appeared here."

The second bombshell hit me with the force of a sledgehammer. "Huh?" I looked at Phoenix, and she also had a look of surprise on her face.

"While with the Founders, I have met quite a number of humans, both male and female. When I say appeared, I mean that they would have turned into one of us, and would be looking for us, appearing around the waters of _Yumenominato_. Hence, it has always been our policy to specially aid and assist these humans." She paused for a moment as if considering what to say next. "Several of them joined us in the end...actually, that doesn't matter here."

"What is really important that you are the first human to have appeared in this world for a long time, and not to mention in a very public manner...which has been disconcerting for you, I assume. While I can begin the...talks later, do take this as a word of caution for now."

I saw there, thinking about what she said, very carefully. This place had humans being airdropped around this city for quite awhile already...so perhaps they had been responsible for the construction and creation of civilisation here? Were the Founders humans or Abyssals? How many other humans were out there?

"So are there any other humans out there?" I asked.

"None are left. All of them died in the Founder War. If there were any left..." She thought for a few seconds. "No, none of them could have survived the elimination orders the other Founders sent out..."

I shivered when I heard the E-word. "Okay, that was a load of mind spinning info..." My mind felt heavy from the series of bombshells. "But why are you telling me all this? You wouldn't have needed to say all that in detail..."

"Like I said, you are the first human to have appeared in this world for a long time. Even if you may not have the skills all of us hold, you have a worthy repository of knowledge, and as someone who gained power beyond what we all know - for example, the ships currently in your possession - and the reputation of a commander worth his salt, you currently have the ability to change the world in ways unimaginable. I know this, for I have seen humans I have worked with in action, and believe me when I can be both frightened and amazed at what you all can accomplish. My words are just firm advice, as well as grim warnings; a soft reminder that you will remember when you make any decision of any sort."

I slightly recoiled at her soft, chiding tone. "Thing is, as far as I know, there is no difference between me and you, or between humans or Abyssals when it comes to this kind of thing. Both humans and Abyssals can be capable of both terrible and great things; our bodies may be different, but our minds are the same." As I made my response, I could not help but think of a certain commander I knew...

A sad smile crept over Black-Crane's features. "To each person their own. Well, moving on, Magician, Giant-Phoenix-That-Watches, how do both of you feel about getting into a 'cooperative agreement' with us, the leadership of _Yumenominato_?"

Ho. So the politicking is coming up now?

"So was all that talking to entice us into making such an agreement?" I said, a mixture of paranoia and smugness flowing through me.

"Not quite," replied our host. "This is rather important - if you sign this treaty, it means that in the event of a full-scale invasion by a sizable human force into the Pacific, you will automatically enter an alliance with us, with shared command over your forces and the others that have signed this agreement. In return, you will have preferential treatment here regarding any assistance we can offer, as well as the permission to directly request small amounts of resources from our coffers."

Phoenix and I looked at each other.

 _"This is certainly a tempting offer,"_ I spoke through telepathy.

 _"True..."_ Phoenix turned back to Black-Crane. "Why the need for such a specific condition?"

"I don't intend on placing too much of a burden on both of you. However, you are all aware of the possibility of another attack, and this is something the Founders, and then us, have been watching out for awhile. However, given the current situation...obviously, small, scattered fleets will not do well against such a monumental foe, hence the need for such an agreement, where we can consolidate our forces as soon as possible."

I nodded at her words, whereas Phoenix said, "True...but one thing before I can agree to this - what constitutes as a 'full-scale invasion'?"

Black-Crane answered, "A human fleet with at least 35-40 ships, or one that has demonstrated the ability to take down multiple fleets with ease when combined."

"I see." Phoenix paused for a moment, thinking. "In that case, I'll agree to it."

"Thank you." Black-Crane handed over a piece of paper and a pen, and Phoenix scrawled a neat signature on the paper.

"Now then, if you wouldn't mind, Magician, shall we begin?"

* * *

Down at the steps to the Founder's Tower (the tower's name, according to a guard), Marian led the way for me and Phoenix to a waiting car.

Before she shut the doors, she bowed and spoke in a cordial, professional tone, "Please enjoy your time in _Yumenominato_. Thank you, and a great day."

The doors closed, and the car moved off.

I leant back against the seat of the car and made a long sigh. Currently, the sun was starting to descend past the horizon, and I felt my energy wane with it. I thought back to the meeting - Black-Crane gave me a small dossier on the main factions involved, as well as some general advice, and the last gift of an updated map. Afterwards, Phoenix and Black-Crane had gone through few extra rounds of diplomacy - mostly over extra benefits that she could squeeze out at the moment. Who would have thought under that gigantic cap was a huge endurance for nonstop talking and a sharp mind for diplomacy?

"What do you plan on doing now, Phoenix?" I asked my erstwhile companion.

"Just handling the rest of the things I have to do later. I will probably return to the ship...do you have anything else in mind, Magician?"

"Hmmmm...do you think I should go to where the conference is going to be held in three days? It's good to know the venue you are going to speaking at, so I was thinking of having a look around the place." I answered. "I don't have anything much to do...after all."

"Oh? If you want, I could show you around the place. In fact, you probably want a tour of _Yumenominato_ yourself, do you?" She offered, looking over.

"Ehhhhh...on second thoughts, I'm quite tired, so not today I guess..." As I spoke feeling of tiredness enveloped me.

"Still, a tour of this place would be nice, wouldn't it? There are some places I do want to visit myself, after a long absence...perhaps after the conference?"

"Sounds like a plan. I wonder how am I going to take the public pressure though..."

"Fu fu." A characteristically cute sound came out of Phoenix's lips.

"Stop it."


	24. Chapter 3-09 - The Conference

A few days passed, and now, under a blazing, hot midday sun, excitement and anticipation filled the air.

The gathering of many famous and distinguished commanders, or by its official name, "Conference on the possibility of Human Threats', was about to begin, and the residents and visitors were waiting as hundreds of officials gathered to discuss how to deal with the 'greatest threat to all Abyssals ever seen'. The previous days had seen many ships of all shapes and sizes, arriving one by one at _Yumenominato_ 's docks, and an increase in people walking the streets.

For many, the conference was a good opportunity for business due to the massive influx of visitors for the week-long conference. However, a sense of uneasiness lay under everyone's eagerness. Not only did the conference signal the seriousness of the situation - that the mysterious humans were indeed capable of assaulting their homes and lands with ease, and it was serious enough that such a meeting was conducted, but the gathering of many sworn or former enemies also made much fear that an incident would happen in the city; a fear that was not unfounded, for the city was once torn apart and burnt to ash by conflicting forces in the past.

Others were eager for any results that would arise out of this. Some were hoping for a declaration of solidarity, a promise by all parties to hold the line against this new and unseen threat, whereas the hawks and the hot-blooded new generation of Abyssals were eagerly waiting for the inevitable round of mobilization and recruitment that would occur after this - a chance to leave _Yumenominato_ 's peaceful shores, for the chance to prove their might in war or explore the world beyond their home.

The chieftains and commanders all gathered in a building named the 'Assembly', a squat, large complex with a cuboid as its main body, several other square blocks connected to it by corridors, and with a dome of glass adorning its top. The building had in the past held large meetings for the Founders and their commanders; now, after years of unuse, it had been refurbished for this purpose.

Around the Assembly was a large plaza, where many Abyssals had gathered under the shade of improvised shelters, waiting anxiously for the live announcement of the proceedings. Some of them were journalists for _Yumenominato_ 's several newspapers, while others were those who would be affected by any decisions made during the conference.

"When is this going to begin?" Sitting among the crowd, a yellow-eyed, plain looking with white hair Abyssal called out.

"Shhh!" Beside her, another plain-looking Abyssals with blue eyes and black hair put a finger to her lips. "You are too loud, Karin."

Karin made a face. "What? We have been waiting here for almost an hour, and yet they have not begun. How many delegates did they bring again?" She leaned back in her chair. "Hey, Marie, who do you think will be beginning their recruitment after this? I can't wait for the chance to get out there, you see."

Marie answered her friend with passive disinterest. "Really, with that kind of attitude, I doubt you will even survive your first encounter with a human, let alone get the chance to extend your name."

"That's just mean, Marie." Karin huffed. "Anyway, what do you think the humans can actually do?"

"I don't know anything about the humans; why do you think I'm here in the first place?" The Abyssal looked over a sheet of paper that told of the proceedings - it informed about a lecture given by the mysterious 'Magician' about the human weaponry and tactics, which an edited version would be handed out for public release afterwards. "If I can know more about the human style of combat, I change how I design my equipment - and maybe upgrade yours so that you can probably survive for a few more seconds."

"Awww, that's nice -"

"It's not for free." Marie shut her down, her tone viciously deadpan.

While Karin sulked to the side, Marie took out one of _Yumenominato'_ s more esteemed weekly magazines, one that had its focus on engineering and equipment. One of its side articles was talking about the _Yu Huang_ , the ship that Magician had arrived in. It contained a whole bunch of theories about its capabilities, promising that by the next issue it would have a fully detailed write-up about the ship, with comparisons between it and other famous Abyssal warships such as the _Defiant_.

"Karin," Marie spoke, "what do you think of the appearance of this Magician?'

"Hmm? I don't know about myself, but some of my friends are thinking of joining up with any fleet he wants to create. They say that it would be nice serving under a commander who isn't part of the constant bickering among the Divided States." A bemused expression formed on her face. "I would rather be a Marauder myself. It would be fun dragging leaders of a Divided State to a Marauder Court and then watch them get sentenced for all the crimes they get caught in."

Marie looked over. "Surely that can't be the only reason, right? I heard some say that he seems...too new at this, too inexperienced for command."

"The old ones think they know it all, even when they have barely seen the person, let alone talked to him." Karin made a face. "Thing is, I actually haven't thought about it much...probably after this conference is finished...that said, when will they start?"

Marie shrugged and turned her attention back to her magazine.

* * *

Inside the massive hall where the proceedings took place, the delegates sat, waiting for the conference to begin.

The hall looked like an indoor Greek amphitheater - a semicircular stage set in the middle, with rows upon rows of seats arrayed around it. Around the walls were empty spots - places where the flag of the Founders used to be, stripped away after _Yumenominato_ 's capture. The most important delegates, such as the military leaders of _Yumenominato_ and the Marauders, sat near the centre, the placement of the delegates seated based on their influence. Above them, light streamed down from the glass dome, illuminating the hall with twinkling white light.

All was quiet as Black-Crane took the stage.

"Good morning," She began, talking into a microphone attached to the stand. "My name is Blackened-Crane-Of-The-East, and as the Director Of Yumenominato and the organizer for this event, I would like to thank you all for coming."

"As you all know, recently the humans have begun a series of attacks into our waters over the past few years. While most of these events were on the Eastern Side of the Pacific, a massive attack was perpetrated - and repelled with heavy losses - on the Western Side recently. Hence, we are all gathered in here in order to decide on our next actions."

"However," Black-Crane paused, "it is unfortunate that we know little of the humans. Either about their nations, or their reasons, or lastly, their capabilities. Thus, to start off, we have invited the person responsible for the defeat of the human fleet - a 'former human' who has knowledge of their powers and their capabilities, to explain them to us. So, please rise to welcome the individual named 'Magician' to the stage."

All the Abyssals stood up, filling to room with scraping noises as they pushed their chairs away.

A figure appeared from the entrance to the backstage - a black-haired male, wearing a trenchcoat and holding a bag in his left arm. He walked up to the stand, and firmly shook hands with Black-Crane. As the latter returned to her seat in the audience, Magician spoke into the microphone with practiced delivery. "Thank you, thank you very much for the warm welcome."

The audience sat, and Magician continued. "well, good morning, and thanks to the Director for inviting me here. Now, before we begin..."

"...I would like to clarify that I'm not an actual expert on some of the topics that I'm discussing here, particularly their feats of engineering - however, you need not be worried, for most of the data I will be showing has been taken from human research papers or documents, and as such relevant data should now be in the files you have in your hands now."

Around the middle of the audience, near the left corner, a certain Abyssal looked up at Magician's comment.

"Huh, he's openly revealing his abilities?" Another Abyssal beside her commented. "Isn't that a bit unwise, Teacher?"

The elder of the duo, the one who had been silent for the whole while, chuckled. "Oh no, he is probably revealing it now to prevent any...claims about his accuracy. Otherwise, he is probably being modest - what you would expect from a newcomer to this."

"I see. I apologise Teacher." The student, a short, white-haired, red-eyed girl wearing a frilly dress that ended right above her knees, tilted her head downwards.

The teacher smiled at her student with a pair of yellow eyes. The older Abyssal had a neatly cropped shape of black hair gracing her head, ending in a bun. A black cape around her shoulders shrouded her body, which wore a shirt and a pair of tight-fitting trousers. A blue sash with a black sigil - a sun rising out of the ocean - lay on top of her clothes, and a pair of metal gauntlets adorned her hands.

Mistress-Of-The-Banner, Third Sun Commander of the Eastern Bloc, turned her attention back to the speaker. Magician was busy fiddling with a laptop on the stand, and when he had finished, he took a step back and withdrew a stick from the bag he was carrying. At his cue, a board was lowered onto the stage. A map was on it, but the picture was simply too small from where Banner was sitting, prompting the Abyssal to open a set of notes that were distributed earlier on.

"Let me begin with a general description of our enemies. Humans are, to start off, are not under the same polity. There are two polities that currently deserve our attention; the first is known as the 'East Asian Confederacy', while the second is the 'North American Federation'."

"The East Asian Confederacy lies to the west - and the fleet I recently repelled belongs to them. They hold the landmass that is named 'Asia' by the humans, and their territory is outlined on your maps." He drew a circle with his stick around an area dyed red on the map. "They were formed around the year 2061 in the human calendar, from a set of other human nations."

"The other nation that deserves our attention, the North American Federation, was formed in 2056, this time from 3 old human nations known as Canada, United States of America, and Mexico. They hold the North American continent, but unlike the East Asian Confederacy, they have not expanded as much as the Confederacy into Abyssal waters, and their actions are neither as aggressive nor overt as the Confederacy."

"Our enemies, right?" Theresa asked.

"Indeed."

From below, Magician continued, oblivious of any discussion between his audience. "As for their motivations, I have not been able to piece together much...but from human historical documents, many of them state of a time...when we were nothing but monsters, preying on humans wantonly and driving them from the oceans. In fact, almost thirty years ago, we attacked their cities and laid waste to them."

"For the humans, they are attacking because they believe that the oceans...the oceans belong to them." Magician concluded, with an unwavering tone.

As he finished, a wave of dissent filled the hall. Angry and shocked murmurs filled the room, as many commanders started to discuss with their counterparts about the nasty bombshell that the speaker had just dropped. From where she was sitting, Banner could see looks of shock and disbelief on her fellow comrades' faces.

She herself was surprised. She had already suspected that humans had some kind of...hatred towards them, but Magician's confirmation was still surprising.

As if predicting such an outcome, Magician rose a hand and tried to prevent any more anger from continuing to rise. "I understand some of you are all feeling outraged at my statement, but so far, this is what I've managed to glean from their documents, I shall be using that assumption. Also, while that may be our enemies' motivations, this is not the main focus of my speech today. So I urge you all to calm down."

To his words, the various leaders of the alliances made many soothing gestures through telepathic means, and the storm of emotions faded away from the physical and psychic realm.

Banner felt the soft mental touch of her own leader, the High Sun Commander herself looking through all the minds of her subordinates. After touching hers and finding only calm, her presence moved away, leaving only a mental nod of satisfaction at her calm.

After a few moments of silence, Magician finally continued. "Thank you. Now that we have managed to establish their identities, let me continue to their tactics and strategy warfare."

"Before I can continue, let me establish what warships do human militaries have. As you may know, human naval combat is centred on the use of 'shipgirls' alongside warships. However, humans have developed a type of warship known as the 'shipgirl carrier', which can be described simply as a floating, moving base where it holds shipgirls in transport." The paper on the board was changed, showing a replica of the _Yu Huang_. "In battle, they station themselves at a far off distance from the battlefield and launch their shipgirls. Given the distance between their bases and ours ,this allows them to be able to strike further into our territory."

"They also have another type of warship, known as the 'guided missile destroyer'." Another ship appeared on the board; this time one of a smaller and of a different design. "Similar to some of your other command cruisers, it carries a large amount of ordnance which can be used to strike targets at extremely long range, which translates to around a few hundred kilometres."

A second round of murmurs came around at his claims, tinged with yet more disbelief or quiet acceptance.

"The humans rely on both shipgirls and warships to exert their dominance. However, both the EAC and the NAF have developed different ways of using their assets, and as such have tied their order of battle to two different doctrines."

"The EAC, based on recordings and my personal observations, operate on what I call the 'SelfReliant Squadron' doctrine. With this doctrine, the fleet is split up into various squadrons. Each squadron consists of one 'shipgirl carrier' as the flagship, protected by five other destroyers. The majority of the shipgirls on the carrier are embarked, with only a small number 'on the water' for escort duty, allowing them to conserve their strength until needed. Each 'squadron' has its own command and logistical structure, thus giving the name 'Self-Reliant'." A picture to demonstrate his example was lowered onto the board.

"This strategy allows them to easily combine and disperse their forces, and each squadron is capable of conducting their own operations in the theatre, seperate from the others. This gives them a great amount of mobility as well as independence, enabling them to carry out devastating, powerful quick strikes at their enemy from different directions. To illustrate my point, I shall now provide an example, taken directly from one of their combat logs."

Upon the board, a white surface reappeared, with 3 blue arrows and 7 red arrows facing each other on opposite sides of the map.

"This is a record from one of their clashes with a sizable Abyssal force, which occurred around 2 months ago from today. As you can see here, the original battle started off with both sides heading straight for each other." Magician

"At the start of the battle, the enemy force split according to their squadrons, and while two squadrons headed away from the third and headed for the Abyssal flanks, the third began a full retreat."

A new picture appeared to illustrate that.

"As the third squadron retreated, the Abyssal forces gave chase, but around an hour later, the other two human squadrons started their own attack on the Abyssal forces and managed to destroy or eliminate three fleets in their combined attack."

Three red arrows disappeared from the board.

"After the attack, the Abyssal fleet stopped for around four hours, before deciding to retreat, but an hour into the attack they were suddenly harassed into a battle by the third squadron, who had reappeared."

One blue arrow came after the mass of red ones.

"As they fully committed themselves to their attack, the other two squadrons returned, attacking from the side again."

As the mass of red arrows attempted to swarm the lone blue arrow, its companions came, again attacking from the side.

"As a result, the Abyssal fleet was eliminated."

Silence followed Magician's words. Banner herself silently digested the words that echoed around the hall.

"With that, I believe I have demonstrated the battle doctrine of the EAC. Continuing on..." Magician's controlled voice continued to echo the hall. "..the battle doctrine of the North American Federation is what I call the 'Combined Fleet' doctrine."

"While I do not have much knowledge on this style of tactics, I can give you its basics - all units operate under the same command structure, and the entire fleet operates as a single entity. Individual units are assigned to different positions, and roles are quickly cycled between each unit. Shipgirls and parasite craft of any sort are easily cycled between each warship, and the shipgirls take a more active role in fleet organisation other than simple assault teams, such as patrol and scout roles. "

"As expected, such a massive organism is slow and isn't exactly adaptable. However, to try to overwhelm such a massive force, with its components working together is no easy feat, and units within this fleet can adapt very easily against any threats against the whole fleet."

He cleared his throat and drank a sip of water. "Right now, you all have been wondering - how do the humans pull this off? How do they achieve the required level of coordination to be so versatile? And what makes them so effective?"

"To answer that, I will begin talking about their technology."

At the mention of technology, an eagerness filled the hall.

Everyone had heard about the power of the sciences made manifest - some in the audience had seen the weaponry and power that had been wielded by the Founders, and after their fall, there had been many rumors about their 'true' capability, rumors that grew more and more exaggerated as the years passed without them being refuted.

While most openly abhorred the Gatherers Of Knowledge, there were some who were curious about any secrets that the Circle 'that rose from the ashes of the Founders' held. Many had spent ages going 'treasure hunting' in Yumenominato for any hidden caches of knowledge, and saner Gatherers were constantly pestered about any breakthroughs they had in their projects, or worse, kidnapped.

But even then, no one had truly penetrated the veil of secrets that Collector-Of-The-Stars had woven around her precious vault, Banner mused. Not even Marauder herself.

She turned her attention back to the speaker, waiting for him to begin.

"Let me begin by stating that the level of technology that humanity is currently capable of is far, far, far more advanced than anything we currently are able to muster; if I had to use an exact number to describe their level of advancement, I will say that they are at least a hundred and a half years ahead of us. While we currently are able to level the playing field a little with magic and some of our inherent functions, they are still very advanced, hence engaging them without any knowledge of their abilities is very much suicidal. It is with this warning that I urge you all to pay very close attention to what I have to say."

A new diagram was lowered onto the stage.

"Starting off, I would like to talk about something known as the Aegis Combat System - a standard system common on all human warships and shipgirls. This system accomplishes two things - it gives them a powerful detection suite which allows them to detect and target any unit on the field, alongside maintaining real-time contact with all other vessels in the fleet, sharing data and communications between all vessels and units."

"What makes this so potent? Most importantly, such a capability allows a commander to know every corner of the conflict in real time, allowing him or her to plot strategies effectively with almost perfect intelligence. It allows the fleet to react very quickly and easily to any threats, allowing a reaction time that far exceeds anything done through 'normal' means. Lastly, a ship can target and attack any target marked by any ship inside the fleet network, even if it isn't in its detection range."

"This whole system works by..." While Magician began to discuss how the detection and communication systems on the ship worked, Theresa turned to her mentor, a frown on her face.

"Why hasn't such a system put in place on our own fleets yet? Don't we have Messengers that can help facilitate such a process, handling all the collection and dispersion of data?"

"Hmmm..." Banner pondered over her student's query, all the while listening Magician continue to explain the features of the Aegis Combat System. "It seems...that there is just too much data to process in such a short time. Instructions, coordinates, deployment orders...while it certainly can be streamlined and adapted, there is no way we could reach such a level of efficiency. In fact, I am rather curious on how the humans developed such a system..." While she thought, Magician explained the concept of computers. "...I see, so they have very advanced machines complete such a task for them."

Several minutes passed as Magician slowly completed his section on the Aegis Combat System. "Moving on, let's finally talk about their weaponry and munitions."

"The most common and dangerous arsenal wielded by humanity is the missile." Another picture was lowered, one which showed a tube with fins sprouting from its side and back, topped by a semicircle head. "A missile can be described like a torpedo, except that it flies through the air and is remotely guided towards its target by many means. They are usually launched from a human warship, and have a range of a few hundred kilometers."

He paused again, letting discussion flow through the hall for a bit. "Their flight is achieved by a 'rocket engine' attached to the rear of the tube and is capable of breaking the speed of sound a few times over, thus achieving the speed and power to wreck that amount of damage. The important thing to note is that missiles are a common thing in all human militaries, as they use them for all kinds of combat. From a smaller missile designed to take down aircraft," Another picture was lowered, with various missiles pictured upon, "to large missiles capable of destroying large installations, humans are usually well-equipped for any scenarios."

"Moving on, we have the railgun. While guns and cannons have long been surpassed by missiles, it would be foolish to assume that gun technology has not been left behind by humankind. The railgun used by human warships works on the principle of an electrical current generating a magnetic field - railguns use that concept to fire shells in place of a chemical propellant, thus achieving a higher rate of fire, greater range alongside greater damage. Currently, such a weapon actually demands a massive amount of power, which meant it has been only mounted on ships, but, I have already encountered a shipgirl with this weapon system mounted on her, which would effectively equal out the force strength between an Abyssal and a shipgirl..."

"Teacher...I must admit, if he had not provided pictures or evidence of these technologies, I would have left this 'conference' long ago." Theresa spoke, a layer of respect hiding the fear which underlined her words, all the while flipping through the booklet. "And yet...all these I see...it seems too...fantastical to believe."

In her silence, yet more information was released. "...but then, there bears the question, where does the energy fueling these weapons come from? Humans gain that energy by using something called a 'nuclear-fusion reactor', which..."

"Like we have opened the secrets of the Abyss and exposed a great horror...Teacher?" Theresa asked as her mentor continued to keep her silence. In response, the usually-calm Banner jolted in her seat.

"...using a unique piece of magical equipment to obtain the isotope deuterium..."

"Teacher, are you alright?" Theresa asked in concern, while Banner put a hand over her face, clenching her teeth and keeping her eyes shut.

"Telepathic argument. Nothing special." She tried to redirect Theresa's concern, waving her away.

"...it is with them again, isn't it, Teacher?"

Banner paused in the middle of readjusting her cape, which had dislodged from her shoulder. "Its...yes, as usual, the mad bastards show more bravery than sense...arguing for immediate attacks, refusing to believe anything we have heard today, or demanding for various retarded things..."

"I see..." The pair kept silent as Magician droned over their heads.

"Do you think that the humans will easily bring us under their heel, Theresa? The teacher asked the student.

"They definitely could, from what I see...but would they? They haven't actually done much to enter our territory, after all..." Theresa voiced her concerns in response.

"...the sheer power of their weapons...what would happen? Would we lose everything we have built?" Leaning to the side, Banner began to mutter in an unsteady tone.

"That's not true, Teacher. I think...I think we will be able to hold the line, to protect our land..." Theresa's voice trailed away as Banner made a sad smile.

"Always the cheerleader." Banner moved to ruffle her student's head, causing the latter to emit a squeak of protest.

Yet, underneath the playfulness, both parties could feel the other's uncertainty and anxiousness.


	25. Story Abandonment Notice

**A/N: This is the C &P of the official story abandonment post on SB/SV. Sorry this came late, but as will see, I had other fish to fry.**

 **There are some leftover chapters (10k words in fact) that I am not planning to upload to FFN. If you want to read them check out the SB/SV threads at here (SV) or here (SB)**

* * *

Hello all.

Its been awhile since the last update - there's a reason for that. To be honest...I gave up on this story a long time ago, even before I actually dropped, even before the imposed hiatus I went on.

The reason for that is...well, I just couldn't write it any more. It is a story full of promise and potential...but seeing my bad writing and lack of readers kinda destroyed any motivation I had for this project, especially when the bad pacing meant that it took me almost a year and a hundred thousand words to even complete the introductory bits.

And...well, I have been working on other projects. Most of which are failures.

Of course, that isn't why I came to necro this thread one last time. You see, I'm rebooting this series, giving myself another chance to do this right. AC is kind of my favorite story, given the amount of work and time I poured into it. So, lets do this again.

The reboot of AC is here: **(Link to FFN version will be coming up; in the meantime have this link)**

Of course, I would love if any of you give my other story the attention it needs, so here: The Neverending Cosmos - [Multicross]

Thank you for being such kind and understanding readers, and have a nice day.

-Magician


End file.
